Deku

What if I want to do a native tank for my 55g? Do you think I could do a large mouth bass? I heard they grow up to a foot. Or native american pike? suggestions wanted plox.

gmen4life

man no way bass can get huge and pike re like 28 inches or more i caught a 24 inch trout this year im a avid fisherman and a small tank like that is tourture for a fish like that you would need many hundred gallons for them to be happy

gmen4life

maybe a sunfish lol i know a nice sized trout would hammer any of our lil fishys bite them in half for fun they do it to my live bait

Deku

Dx alright I was suggested that by a friend so ill guess ill rule that one out Dx and sunnies pretty much hide Ived kept a few all they do is hide. (in a larger tank my father has)

gmen4life

unless you could catch like a 5 inch trout and plan on one day building a big pond for him you could hand feed him eventually i knew a bait store who had one with a diet of about 20 fatheads a day lol he was 3.5 lb rainbow awesome fish he had a huge tank though kinda made for him

Deku

How about bullhead catfish? O: I heard they stay under 12inches

Amanda

I feel like we have had this conversation before...

gmen4life

no way catfish?they get huge also man

soldieroffortune1974

You could do a Native Aquarium for white clouds, but as far as the catfish,bass,etc You would need a 3 to 400 gallon set up, not 55. Small perch types,maybe. Hey perfect excuse to go bigger............

Deku

True o.o maybe i should stop listening to my friends advice xD though I do read but most of the times I feel bad and like to try their advice o.o;; I think I know what Iam going for xD I know itll work because I already researched it before. Ived asked the question before got the same answers I was looking for so yeah Ima go with community tank with a captive bred musk turtle (they grow up to 4inches to 5) and put a pair of angels and a small school of corycats(5-6) or a group of smaller catfish for clean up crew like ottos. though if I add more itd be overstocking so yeah or if not with the cats id do four-six snails (the apple snail variety) idk yet. I have to look more into it.

Deku

hmmm? Maybe about channel catfish O:

aquarist48

Good morning. I had a native tank for a while. Bream, Red Breast, Bass and Cat Fish. I had fry from the Bream and the Read Breast. I had them in my 155g. Everything was fine until I added the Bass. The Bass killed my Red Breast, my cat fish grew from 6" to 18" in less than 2 years. I acclimated them all back into the creek. Agreed with the poster that mentioned they need 300 to 400 gallons. These types of fish can be brutal towards each other. I really don't think they are meant for aquarium keeping. I'll never try it again.

Deku

Hmm okay. But your soo lucky to have a 155 >> I would love to find a tank that size sadly the highest I could ever find was 55g at rare ocassions 75g. My parents hate me buying stuff online so I cant get a custom made one. Other wise I would invest alot of money in a 200g right off the bat. Like people say the bigger the tank the better o-o Id probably put a fahaka in there IF I could. If fahakas needed larger then I would go with the next best thing trying to keep 3-4 oscars. I <3 oscars <3

Angela_96

Let me just say at the TWRA main office (we go there to get sportsman licenses here) there is about a 200g tank with one crappie in it, the poor thing has a lot of water and room but still looks unhappy. Its by itself.
They get about the size of a full grown oscar, and there is no way I would keep a bass of any kind in a home aquarium.

The channel cat is out as well... I have caught some here in TN and they are HUGE.


IF you want something natural get some shiner minnows, darters (they have very special needs of high flow from being in a high flow river system and look up the species to make sure its not protected, there are a lot of protected species of darters right now)....

Deku

I think Iam going with musk turtle and some fast moving fish or turtle and some goldfish they get along fine

snowflake311

First off I'm pretty sure it is illegal to catch certain fish for your aquarium unless you get a license or permit for them. If you are keeping them for education reasons you can get a permit. Yet how do they enforce this law.

I don't see why you can't keep them. So what they out grow your tank guess what you can just let them go no big deal.

here is a great site if you really do want to get into native fish.
http://www.nanfa.org/

btate617

And possibly introduce a disease into your local waterway. Pretty simple if you keep fish like this, don't return them to the water they came from when you have had your fill of enjoyment from them, the responsible thing to do would be to kill them.

Brian

Angela_96

The letting the fish go into local waterways causes tons of problems, its that statment in general that has started the HR 669 bill that they are trying to pass because people turning wildlife loose that should not be turned loose introducing disease, and invasive speices into the wild population, ie cynthroid fungus in frogs, and snakeheads, pythons, etc.

If people keep this up we will all loose our rights to have anything other than a simple goldfish and a cat or dog as a pet. Because they cannot be trusted not to turn them out when "tired of them"