10 replies to this topic

[mattknepley]

A local headwaters of mine is just absolutely slap full of y.o.y. yellowfin shiners, y.o.y. bluehead chubs, and juvenile northern hog suckers. Monday I brought four hog suckers home to grow out for a while in my 55. They are all between 2 and 3 inches long, chubby and active. They love being up near the current-generating fan thingy, bobbing and weaving in the outflow. They also seem to enjoy each others company.

They spend a lot of time swimming in the middle and even upper level of the water column. Kinda surprising as I pictured them as a more benthic fish. I assume they'll become more "bottomcentric" as they adjust to their new home. I have yet to see them eat, but it's only been three days. Funny thing is, they don't seem to be losing any body mass, so I assume they are finding chow when lights go out.

Any advice for raising these guys? I brought home a couple gallons of their native sediment to add to the tank to help 'em feel at home and give 'em some transition forage. (They seem less interested in it than the established fish; namely darters and two chowhound blueheads.) They have plenty of current, big rocks to hide in and explore, and substrate suitable for rooting around in. Small amounts of bloodworms and some flake are fed after lights out; chubs probably get it, but it's the ol' college try...

[littlen]

Matt, its great that you started off with juvies as they transition to a life in captivity better than adults. (Which is rarely a factor when considering shiners and darters). You will find success stories keeping hogsuckers, however more often than not you'll hear failure to thrive stories. Sub-adults usually always slowly fade away and die after several months of getting thinner and thinner.

Clearly yours are enjoying the current and I think it is a great idea to incorporate the natural [fine] substrate they were found on. They don't do quite as well with larger, coarser, gravel. Like Ben said, they will take to shrimp pellets eventually and will sift out most other food items. The other biggest factor to consider is competition. They are not aggressive feeders and will quickly be out-competed by chubs, shiners, and potentially darters. Just something to consider in making sure they get enough food. Blackworms and bloodworms are a great food item as well for these guys. (The blackworms in particular make a great forage food as the hogsuckers are the only ones that can efficiently sift through and under the top layer of sand to get to the worms). Everything about your tank sounds good. I would personally feed on the heavier side to ensure there is leftover food for the suckers after everyone else has had their fill.

If you can get them sufficient food, they should last a handful of years. But I would be hesitant to say that they'll attain the monstrous size you see them in the wild. Very cool fish that I enjoyed keeping--but had to eventually take them off the collection fan as they didn't thrive in the highly competitive exhibit I kept them in.

Best of luck! (Any pics?)

[Michael Wolfe]

Today is my day to agree with the above two responders... so I will again in this thread. Successful sucker-keeping in my experience is a combination of sandy substrate that can be sifted through and enough food to get to the bottom for them. I have had success with shrimp pellets and with NLS pellets. In both cases it is about getting them to the bottom quickly and letting them dissolve and then get vacuumed up by the little hoovers. Nick brings up a good thing about competition... the one jumprock that I had really grow was in a tank of darters... do he had all the cleanup duty to himself and no competition. But I think you can do it!

[mattknepley]

Thanks for the insight, everybody. Given what's been shared, I think I'll add more of their native sand; their hoovering area is still pretty small. I'll find some high quality pellets and experiment with ways to deliver food that maximize the 'suckers access to it. May need to retank either the blueheads or the 'suckers.

Served grilled on a cedar plank for Josh.

Pictures, since Nick asked...

Their natal stream, Big Curl Tail Creek, Abbeville Co, SC. My lovely daughter Erin assisted admirably in their capture.
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Three incher in the phototank.
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Front view of 55.
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End view showing "Hoover Zone".
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Bobbin' and weavin' in the current...
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On Pride Rock...
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These guys don't sit still too much, so this is the best I can manage so far...

[Michael Wolfe]

They are looking for more sand... oh, and nice collecting box!

[mattknepley]

They are looking for more sand... oh, and nice collecting box!

I attribute all my success to that collecting cooler! Some day it will find its way back to GA, but until then, it ain't on vacation!

Like most stream fish they do better when collected in cooler temperatures than now in the southeast. But I hope I'm wrong in this case.

I had some concerns about the water temps and ambient temps, too. They looked pretty robust all through the stream, so I figured I'd give them a try. It's early, but so far, so good...