Native American Fish - MyFishTank.Net Freshwater Saltwater Aquarium Fish Forum

splishsplash · 01-08-2001, 04:52 AM

Does anyone here keep Native American freshwater fish? I have seen some information here and there on the net about it, and it seems like it would be interesting. I wonder though what species would be easier to keep. I tend to like smaller fish like tetras and barbs and most of the Native american fish I have seen seem to be pretty big.

Anyway, just wondering. Wouldn't be able to set up a tank like that for at least 7 months anyway.

Jan

BABailey-PO-d · 01-08-2001, 11:55 AM

florida flagfish and florida bluefin killi's and banded sunfish and darters and many other natives are small and tank sized

splishsplash · 01-10-2001, 05:26 AM

Well, I have been looking into this a little bit,and found a good web site..here  http://www.nativefish.org/

It has pictures of a lot of native fish. If I did this, I would probably wait until after our move to Ok. this summer.  We will be living right on the Arkansas river, and I bet you could do a fair bit of collecting with the proper licensing and things.  I would want little fish though. Maybe those are found closer to shore? Still have a lot of looking up to do, LOL.

Jan

Cillana · 04-02-2001, 07:42 PM

A few years back I kept a few native fish that my friend caught for me in the pond in his yard. He got me a pair of golden topminnows and a few banded pygmy sunfish. They turned out to be pretty nice aquarium fish. They got along with my store bought fish. My Audubon Society field guide says that the topminnows get 3 inches long. They are light green with gold and red specks. They stay towards the top of the tank. It says the sunfish get 2 inches long. They were more shy and stayed down on the gravel like cories and loaches. They aren't as pretty as the topminnows. But they are very cute *

. They are light brown with dark brown vertical stripes and specks. They also have a horizontal stripe that goes through their eyes. I have also seen wild sailfin mollies in the brackish lake near where I live (SW Louisiana). They are kind of orangish colored.

ryanp15 · 04-03-2001, 07:27 PM

I have a minnow too! But he's just one I got from the bait bucket and now he's my favorite! He's silver and when I put him in warm water from my tank he gets this beautiful green and yellow stripes down him. He's also very active.

    Ryan ;D

Bettaman shane · 04-03-2001, 08:10 PM

I caught a yellow perch and he lived in a 30 gallon for a year then i got him some friends and they are very happy getting fed earthworms.

New2Fishtanx · 07-15-2005, 09:58 AM

Native American fish are AWESOME! They are the best because you can get them about anywhere (in America..lol) and they are usually pretty hardy with temp changes and water quality. I currently have a 3 inch Largemouth Bass, a fullgrown Bluegill, 2 roundhead minnows, a Rock bass, and 2 baby painted turtles in a tank. All which I caught myself. The tank looks like the bottom of the lake I got them all from. I can sit and watch them for hours... and if you like to fish, raising whatever type of fish you like to catch allows you to see their feeding habits and what types of cover they prefer.

mamba · 07-15-2005, 12:15 PM

i agree native fish are great awhile back i had minnows, crayfish and freshwater clams in my tank... should have done my research on the crayfish before i caught them though... they ate most of my clams ... i still got alot of clams in my tank still.. i use them in my cichlid tank now to stir the sand up... works great so far ... im just trying them as a experiment in the sand right now though...... you oughta try some sunnies they get neat colors and are neat to watch.. though from when i had some sunnies they get real mean sometimes

seastaar88 · 07-15-2005, 05:28 PM

hey, you're a jan too that likes natives? wow... uncanny!!!!!
i've been keeping natives for a few years now. i'll never go back to trops. natives are incredibly hardy and easy to keep. the *only* tough part is acclimating them to processed food. some fish will only accept live food, and sometimes a fish will never feed in captivity period. depends on the fish. overall, i haven't had problems. plus, since i only feed 3x a week, my water perameters are always perfect. i've kept most common CT fish at one time or another. you basically keep natives like you would trops, except i don't use a heater.

what size tank are you planning?

Seleya · 07-15-2005, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seastaar88

i've been keeping natives for a few years now. i'll never go back to trops. natives are incredibly hardy and easy to keep. the *only* tough part is acclimating them to processed food. some fish will only accept live food, and sometimes a fish will never feed in captivity period. depends on the fish. overall, i haven't had problems. plus, since i only feed 3x a week, my water perameters are always perfect. i've kept most common CT fish at one time or another. you basically keep natives like you would trops, except i don't use a heater.

what size tank are you planning?

How do you collect them? Have any tried and true techniques? I find the natives intriguing but am not sure how to go about it. Which field guides do you find most helpful? Thanks!