FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Hi
I'm new to the forum, but I've noticed a trend in the choice of aquarium fish. Does anyone stock or have any tanks large enough for native US fish. I've got family that are big on hunting & fishing (most of them, in fact.) But they also believe in catch and release for the smaller fishes unfortunate enough to hook themselves on a line. Sometimes, if a tank is available, they will scoop it and a cooler full of water.(usually brackest water, i.e. channel cats, blue gill, crappie, pike.) Take it home and raise it until it's too big for the tank or wants to go awol to often. (jumping) By then its either the frying pan or back to the lake/river/stream it was caught in. Sorry I digress.
My question is, are there any native fishes to the US small enough for the average tank? I know I can't be the first to ask this question.

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

Sure, there are plenty of US native fish that can fit in a "small" tank (for the sake of this thread I'll say less than 50 gallons). Anything from pygmy sunfishes to killifishes to minnows. The main issue is not whether or not there are North American native fish suitable for small tanks (there are plenty), but rather a matter of how you can get these fish.

In many areas of the US, it is illegal to buy or sell fish native to other parts of the country, due to concerns about them escaping and becoming an invasive species in local waterways. You need to check your local and state regulations to see what is allowed and what isn't when it comes to purchasing North American fish.

In most areas, though, it is perfectly legal to go out with a net and catch your own bait fish, so long as the species you are capturing aren't endangered or anything, you can go catch your own aquarium fish. Small cyprinids in one form or another are widespread in the United States, and many of them can be quite colorful.

Among the smaller species that do well in captivity are most of the minnows, darters, sculpins, and madtoms (check which species, a lot of them are threatened). Other natives like pygmy sunfish and killies tend to be a bit harder to care for. What kind of fish are you interested in?

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Thank you, I just don't see any listed. So, I was curious. Also, my train of thought was, since I'm in Michigan, wouldn't it be easier to care for a native fish. Though this would be something I would consider quite a ways down the line. (Pardon the pun) I think I would be interested in something related to blue gill, pike & walleye, but much, much smaller. Those suckers can get huge.

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

Hi,
Here are some links that may interest you in the
North American Fish for aquariums:

http://www.nativefish.org/articles/Book1review.php

http://www.fishpondinfo.com/misc2.htm

http://forum.nanfa.org/

http://forum.nanfa.org/index.php?showtopic=643

http://naturalaquariums.com/bb/index.php?board=113.0

http://www.aquariumlife.net/articles/native-fish/46.asp

Have fun!
Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Who tha man!?

FRANK's da man! /:'

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

Hello Kelly,

Natalie brings up a good point, check with your states regulations concerning the keeping of fish not native to your immediate area, some states/counties have no problems with that as long as the fish are kept indoors in aquariums and are not on any "endangered species list".
Frank also provided several good links to start doing some research, the NANFA forum is a good source of reading, there are many NANFA members right there in MI that would be more than happy to help you out with questions as far as the legality of collecting / keeping , and also the proper husbandry and conservation efforts of some of the coldwater critters native to MI.
Just to give you an idea of what species that are available ( many are seasonal) there are a few places where they can be purchased online
http://www.jonahsaquarium.com/
http://www.btdarters.com/index_1024x768.html
Jonahs is by far the most diverse that I have found on the web.
A few more links for ya that may be of interest >>
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364---,00.html
http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/data/specialanimals.cfm
http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/resources/mi.shtml

Hope all this isn't too overwhelming , but better to be informed !!

( rainbow darters are one of my favs!)
J.

Thanks for the info. My husband's going to kill me about inquiring on sooooo many fish!

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

Also, if it turns out to be legal to buy these fish in your area, AquaBid has a section for US native fish:

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwusnative

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Anything that can be caught on hook and line is generally too large for a normal sized aquarium. Some of the smaller lepoms might work, but IME, they get pretty rowdy, and it's best to leave them at, say, 1 per twenty gallons, with a minimum of forty (more, depending on the species), and they require a lot of vegetative cover.

Hi,
Now that you have plenty of reading material and
suggestions, keep in mind that these are not tropical fish
and will probably need a chiller instead of a heater for
the tank.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Yeah, I kinda figured that, since our waters are pretty darn cold, even in summer. Not as cold as our Canadian lake friends, but cold just the same. I wonder if I could just get away with having the tank on the back porch, under shade, of course?

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

Ive kept quite a few different species of native fish here in North Carolina, and most of which can fit in even a 10g

Right now, I have a shoal of 6 sand shiners in a 10gallon which ive caught in a stream in my backyard. Theyre hardy little critters, and theyve adapted just fine to eating flakes and living in a well planted tank with gravel substrate, despite coming from a sandy stream.

My favorite fish that ive caught thats suitable for a 10g, though, would have to be swallowtail shiners. They dont get much bigger than 2in, and they have a beautiful purple sheen that makes them look like purple emperor tetras.

But anyway, im done talking about my fish, but im just trying to make a point that theyres a whole bunch of native fish that you can keep in a small tank, like mosquitofish, but you just need to look in the right places. For example, it would be easier to catcher smaller fish in a small creek rather than in a large lake.

And to answer your last question, from spring to fall, it would probably be okay to keep your native fish outside in a tank, but during the winter, it would probably be best to bring them inside. The temperature in a small, glass aquarium is more e to fluctuating temperatures than a pond or stream. Also, if the water freezes over, the aquarium glass may shatter.

Small native Americans?

The Genus Notropis alone contains a brace of small minnow species which in some cases rival the flashiest of South American Tetras. Then there are Pygmy Sunfishes (Genus Elassoma), of which I know of two, Elassoma evergladei and Elassoma zonatum, both of which are tiny and suitable for a modest aquarium setup if kept in a species aquarium for breeding. Other interesting fishes include some of the North American Killies - Chriopeops goodei is a nice one to look out for if you can find it, along with Fundulus chrysotus, the Golden-Eared Killie.

One BIG caveat I have to issue here is with respect to the Pupfishes of the Genus Cyprinodon. Several of these are endangered (some are listed as critically endangered), and in the case of the Comanche Springs Pupfish, Cyprinodon elegans, the only current wild population in existence is a managed population in Balmorhea State Park. Needless to say, it's VERY closely guarded, and you would need to fill in a mountain of paperwork to keep this fish. Once upon a time, it was found in Comanche Springs, near to Fort Stockton, but that water source dried up in 1955, hence the relocation of the fishes.

As for Lepomis species, while these are generally big and boisterous (they're effectively the North American analogues of Cichlids, sharing similar behavioural features) one or two are worth looking at if you're prepared to give them the conditions they deserve. One absolutely gorgeous species to look out for is Lepomis humilis, which I covered in some depth in this earlier thread.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I can't open you link anymore Cal. Can I get any help?

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

Old thread i know, but just thought id let you know Cal most north american fish are illegal here, Notropis included.

Hi,
Here are a couple of links:
http://www.bio.txstate.edu/~tbonner/txfishes/lepomis%20humilis.htm

http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/detail.aspx?aid=1363&cid=3780&search=

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I've come up with a partial WISH LIST. The problem is I don't know if they are compatible with each other or if they are solitary, etc... I've got ALOT more reading to do!

1. Redside Dace, Clinostomus Elongatus
2. Spotfin Shiner, Cyprinella Spiloptera
3. Brassy Minnow, Hybognathus Hankinsoni
4. Fieryblack Shiner, Cyprinella pyrrhomelas
5. Highback Chub, Hybopsis Hypsinotus
6. Bluehead Chub, Nocomis Leptocephalus
7. Speckled Darter, Etheostoma stigmaeum
8. Bluespotted Sunfish, Enneacanthus Gloriosus
9. Black Buffalo, Ictiobus Niger
10. Pumpkinseed, Lepomis gibbosus

I haven't had the chance to go through all of the fish on the Michigan DNR List but I think this is a great start. My husband says "most" of them look like bait.
I haven't got a tank for any of them so this is still a "Wish List" and only possiblities at that. I would still have to check in the LFS to see if any have them in stock or would even order them. Who knows.... Maybe I'll luck up at a family picnic and net a few out of the Detroit River. The best thing is I could have them without the expense of a heater. I just have to float a frozen jug or two in it in the summer. /:'

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

I found that maintenance was a nightmare with my natives even with my 75. I finally moved them into my pond. If I were to do it again, I would probably have two pumpkinseed and some tasty plants for them to munch on. A chiller would be very helpful to bring their metabolism down but they are comfortable at room temp.

http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/33/31033-004-4A4192E3.jpg

Krash that's a wowwie fish. I like it very much. The colors are fantastic! /:'

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

Back in March I hooked up with the Charlotte Aquarium Club and did a native fish collecting trip. I was really shocked to find out how many little fish and insects are in the stream. I was even shocked to find out where some of them hung out in the stream.

Here is a link to the thread about the trip:
http://aquacharlotte.org/CAASBBS/viewtopic.php?t=6093&start=0

I am not sure if you have to be a member or not to see the pictures.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric