OK, so I'm getting a 65 and don't know what kind of fish i can put in there... Can you guys help me out? I want to be able to collect fish in-state. What type of fish should i get?
Community Stocking Suggestions
Started by
Guest_MassNativeTank11_*
, Jun 07 2010 04:29 PM
12 replies to this topic
#3
Guest_Newt_*
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Posted 07 June 2010 - 07:15 PM
I'm not all that familiar with the fishes you have available in MA, so I'll keep it general.
DARTERS
Pretty much any darter will do well in a community setup, especially a nice big tank like that. Some species are territorial against their own kind or similar-looking species. Provide plenty of structure (stones, driftwood, moss, etc.) at the bottom for them. Most species appreciate some current. They will eat small live invertebrates, and usually will adapt to frozen or freeze-dried inverts too. If you have aggressive eaters such as minnows in the tank, you may need to take special precautions to get food to the darters. One good method is to distract the minnows with some floating flakes, then use a turkey baster to deliver inverts to the tank bottom.
MINNOWS
Smaller peaceful minnows such as fatheads and kin, most dace, and many shiner in the genera Notropis and Hybopsis are a cinch for a community tank. Larger minnows require more careful selection. Some big minnows, such as golden and common shiners, are pretty easy-going, but others, such as creek chubs and fallfish, are aggressive and may eat smaller fish.
TOPMINNOWS
Small topminnows will probably be OK, though they may fight among themselves. Large topminnows may eat small fishes (at least my studfish does).
SUNFISH
Most sunfish are too large, aggressive, and piscivorous for a darter/minnow-oriented community tank. However, some such as the Enneacanthus species, bantams and orange spots, are relatively small and passive.
CATFISH
Most madtoms are good in a community tank. Stonecats may eat smaller fish. You will seldom see madtoms, but they're neat to have anyway. Other catfish are too large for this kind of community.
OTHERS
Sticklebacks and mosquitofish are the right size for a community tank, but have the wrong attitude. Mudminnows could work if none of your fish are small enough to be eaten by them. Sculpin are good at eating darters, and in my experience do poorly in captivity. Silversides will do fine in a tank if you can get them there alive; they are notoriously fragile. All the other fishes that I think you are likely to encounter are too large and/or predatory to work in your setup.
Good luck!
DARTERS
Pretty much any darter will do well in a community setup, especially a nice big tank like that. Some species are territorial against their own kind or similar-looking species. Provide plenty of structure (stones, driftwood, moss, etc.) at the bottom for them. Most species appreciate some current. They will eat small live invertebrates, and usually will adapt to frozen or freeze-dried inverts too. If you have aggressive eaters such as minnows in the tank, you may need to take special precautions to get food to the darters. One good method is to distract the minnows with some floating flakes, then use a turkey baster to deliver inverts to the tank bottom.
MINNOWS
Smaller peaceful minnows such as fatheads and kin, most dace, and many shiner in the genera Notropis and Hybopsis are a cinch for a community tank. Larger minnows require more careful selection. Some big minnows, such as golden and common shiners, are pretty easy-going, but others, such as creek chubs and fallfish, are aggressive and may eat smaller fish.
TOPMINNOWS
Small topminnows will probably be OK, though they may fight among themselves. Large topminnows may eat small fishes (at least my studfish does).
SUNFISH
Most sunfish are too large, aggressive, and piscivorous for a darter/minnow-oriented community tank. However, some such as the Enneacanthus species, bantams and orange spots, are relatively small and passive.
CATFISH
Most madtoms are good in a community tank. Stonecats may eat smaller fish. You will seldom see madtoms, but they're neat to have anyway. Other catfish are too large for this kind of community.
OTHERS
Sticklebacks and mosquitofish are the right size for a community tank, but have the wrong attitude. Mudminnows could work if none of your fish are small enough to be eaten by them. Sculpin are good at eating darters, and in my experience do poorly in captivity. Silversides will do fine in a tank if you can get them there alive; they are notoriously fragile. All the other fishes that I think you are likely to encounter are too large and/or predatory to work in your setup.
Good luck!
#4
Guest_fundulus_*
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Posted 07 June 2010 - 08:42 PM
In Massachusetts good species are banded killifish (make sure they're all the same size), golden shiners, and tessellated darters. Small sunfish may work too; pumpkinseeds are more colorful but tend to be more aggressive than bluegills or redbreasts.
#5
Guest_FirstChAoS_*
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Posted 07 June 2010 - 10:30 PM
Looks like you're looking for advice on new england native fish. Here is what I observed from collecting in New Hampshire.
Note: Any fish will eat another that fits in its mouth, even seemingly passive fish.
SUNFISH:
- Lepomis sunfish are the most common and available in New England, they are found in 3 widespread species (pumpkinseed, redbreast, and bluegill) though I heard that a few more have been introduced in mass. (greens and possibly warmouth). Lepomids are agressive and will set up a terretory and often chase other fish out of it. Minnows in a sunfish heavy tenk tend to cower in a few spots only leaving occasionaqlly to feed. My 55 gallon seems to have a 3 sunfish limit. If I add more they will get killed.
- Rock Bass and Crappie: I haven't really tried a crappie (I did once but it was too big for the tank I put it in and died shortly after), but I hear they are similar in attitude to rock bass. Rock bass are a nice mid-level attitude sunfish. They are not too agressive to non sunfish but will get mildly terretorial to other sunfish.
- Banded Sunfish: New Englands smallest sunfish and the only one truely fit as a genuine community species. I keep mione with banded killifish and they do suprisingly well.
PERCIDS
- Yellow Perch: A fairly calm attitude fish that is a good species with other larger fish. They are very predatory to small fish but fairly calm too.
- Darters: New England has two brownish darter species. Both of which are fairly benign. In marshy ponds and streams in the merrimack and coastal drainages you get swamp darters. In sandy streams with some cover scattered you get tesselateds. Both of which do good with other species. (as with every darter species some people have had trouble with very agressive terretorial tesselates but some had no issues at all, so beware, some individuals may not match the calm fish I am used to).
MINNOWS: Minnows are fascinating fishes. Left to their own devices they have an odd rough and tumble form of community behavior. They group together but jostle and chase for dominance at times until their pecking order stabilizes. But when a new minnows appears they quickly start hazing it to learn its place. Minnows who enter their breeding stage color up nicely but often get agressive and terretorial. Even with this minnows tend to be nice community fish. Minnows in a tank with a large agressive sunfish turn timid though.
note: some minnows are jumpy. Daces and fallfish may try and leap from the tank when scared. This is especially true of current loving species. Buying a small aquarium powerhead or small impellow used to circulare water in salt water tanks does wonders to calm them.
CATFISH:
- Madtoms: Madtoms are an introduced species so are uncommon throughout much of new england, but in places where they dwell I have heard they can be numerous (I have yet to catch any however). I ordered a madtom from sachs aquaculture once and it spent it's time hiding, only coming to thge opening of its cave to feed and never exiting it.
- bullheads: an interesting fish that can grow fairly large I have experience with three bullheads. Two clump together in a corner in the open, the other stayed hidden all the time. These would be good for a big fish tank.
KILLIFISH
New Englands two most common killifish species are the banded killifish and the mummichog. Both of which can tolerate fresh, salt, and brackish water. They mix freely in brackish but mummichogs have a slight preference for salt and bandeds a slight preference for fresh. These fish are tough to pair with other species since they may kill or harrass smaller fish. In my experience they do alright with banded sunfish and small bullheads, do poorly with shiners and darters (Who they attack) and large lepomids (who attack them).
my suggestions for a new england tank
BIG FISH TANK
I recommend 2 sunfish of any species, a yellow perch, a bullhead or two, and maybe a larger minnow species like a fallfish or creek chub.
SMALL FISH TANK: I recommend a few smaller shiners (Commons, Longnose Dace, Blacknose Dace, and Goldens all do ok in tanks, and i heard mass has fatheads (if not petco has them as rosey red minnows and sometimes has natural colored ones). and darters. Maybe a madtom or two.
Note: Any fish will eat another that fits in its mouth, even seemingly passive fish.
SUNFISH:
- Lepomis sunfish are the most common and available in New England, they are found in 3 widespread species (pumpkinseed, redbreast, and bluegill) though I heard that a few more have been introduced in mass. (greens and possibly warmouth). Lepomids are agressive and will set up a terretory and often chase other fish out of it. Minnows in a sunfish heavy tenk tend to cower in a few spots only leaving occasionaqlly to feed. My 55 gallon seems to have a 3 sunfish limit. If I add more they will get killed.
- Rock Bass and Crappie: I haven't really tried a crappie (I did once but it was too big for the tank I put it in and died shortly after), but I hear they are similar in attitude to rock bass. Rock bass are a nice mid-level attitude sunfish. They are not too agressive to non sunfish but will get mildly terretorial to other sunfish.
- Banded Sunfish: New Englands smallest sunfish and the only one truely fit as a genuine community species. I keep mione with banded killifish and they do suprisingly well.
PERCIDS
- Yellow Perch: A fairly calm attitude fish that is a good species with other larger fish. They are very predatory to small fish but fairly calm too.
- Darters: New England has two brownish darter species. Both of which are fairly benign. In marshy ponds and streams in the merrimack and coastal drainages you get swamp darters. In sandy streams with some cover scattered you get tesselateds. Both of which do good with other species. (as with every darter species some people have had trouble with very agressive terretorial tesselates but some had no issues at all, so beware, some individuals may not match the calm fish I am used to).
MINNOWS: Minnows are fascinating fishes. Left to their own devices they have an odd rough and tumble form of community behavior. They group together but jostle and chase for dominance at times until their pecking order stabilizes. But when a new minnows appears they quickly start hazing it to learn its place. Minnows who enter their breeding stage color up nicely but often get agressive and terretorial. Even with this minnows tend to be nice community fish. Minnows in a tank with a large agressive sunfish turn timid though.
note: some minnows are jumpy. Daces and fallfish may try and leap from the tank when scared. This is especially true of current loving species. Buying a small aquarium powerhead or small impellow used to circulare water in salt water tanks does wonders to calm them.
CATFISH:
- Madtoms: Madtoms are an introduced species so are uncommon throughout much of new england, but in places where they dwell I have heard they can be numerous (I have yet to catch any however). I ordered a madtom from sachs aquaculture once and it spent it's time hiding, only coming to thge opening of its cave to feed and never exiting it.
- bullheads: an interesting fish that can grow fairly large I have experience with three bullheads. Two clump together in a corner in the open, the other stayed hidden all the time. These would be good for a big fish tank.
KILLIFISH
New Englands two most common killifish species are the banded killifish and the mummichog. Both of which can tolerate fresh, salt, and brackish water. They mix freely in brackish but mummichogs have a slight preference for salt and bandeds a slight preference for fresh. These fish are tough to pair with other species since they may kill or harrass smaller fish. In my experience they do alright with banded sunfish and small bullheads, do poorly with shiners and darters (Who they attack) and large lepomids (who attack them).
my suggestions for a new england tank
BIG FISH TANK
I recommend 2 sunfish of any species, a yellow perch, a bullhead or two, and maybe a larger minnow species like a fallfish or creek chub.
SMALL FISH TANK: I recommend a few smaller shiners (Commons, Longnose Dace, Blacknose Dace, and Goldens all do ok in tanks, and i heard mass has fatheads (if not petco has them as rosey red minnows and sometimes has natural colored ones). and darters. Maybe a madtom or two.
#7
Guest_FirstChAoS_*
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Posted 08 June 2010 - 10:38 PM
OK, so i have an idea, would it work?
2 yellow perch
1 madtom
2 banded sunfish
Any problems?
Depends on the size of the perch. A small perch would be ok as long as it is small. A banded sunny is small and may be eaten, but i am not sure if their rounses shape would be difficult to swallow or not. madtoms are definately bite sized for a big perch but i am unsure if their hiding habits and fin spines would protect them or not.
#8
Guest_Newt_*
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Posted 09 June 2010 - 08:55 AM
I would not try that combo. Perch would probably be fine with Lepomis sunnies (bluegill, redbreasts, greens, pumpkinseeds, etc.), but not with the shy little Enneacanthus sunnies (blue-spotted, banded, black-banded). Even if the little guys didn't get eaten, they would spend all their time hiding in terror and die of stress + starvation. Big madtoms like stonecats might be all right with perch, but I wouldn't put the smaller madtom species in.
Is their one particular species you really want in the tank? If so, name it and we can help you build a community around it.
Is their one particular species you really want in the tank? If so, name it and we can help you build a community around it.
#10
Guest_davidjh2_*
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Posted 09 June 2010 - 02:17 PM
I would say.. yellow perch
If I wasn't already doing a Bluegill setup I'd go with a Yellow Perch setup as well they are beautiful fish and very entertaining in the wild. I have a profile picture on Facebook of me holding a perch and the spinnerbait I caught it on and the perch is barely bigger then the spinnerbait but it hit it like a trophy bass lol.
#12
Guest_FirstChAoS_*
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Posted 09 June 2010 - 11:09 PM
wow! must have been fun!..... and as for my tank, if i have a perch then i cant really put anything else in there because it will be eaten... hmmm...
Larger sunfish and bullheads and your larger shiner species can do ok with perch so a perch can do well with the right community.
#13
Guest_MWBradshaw_*
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Posted 24 June 2010 - 05:06 PM
Just thought I'd chime in with my experience, I have a small Yellow perch and Largemouth bass in my 36 gallon right now. They are about 4" and are great together. They both seem really calm and don't compete for food or anything. Good match right now at this size. I recently added two 2.5" sunfish to the tank, one bluegill and one pumpkinseed. The bass and perch don't pay any attention to them and they don't fight with them or show aggression when feeding, which is what I was kind of worried about. However, the little bluegill has been chasing around the pumpkinseed and made a few runs at the perch. He seems a bit aggressive with the pumpkinseed but that is a new thing I'm noticing, so I'm going to try and watch it close and see if I can understand it, it might be territorial but the bluegill hasn't appeared to stake down an area, none of them have. They all just seem to either swim in the open or hang out in the plants or driftwood.
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