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Raising a Northern Hog sucker

Started by Guest_factnfiction101_* , Jun 27 2007 12:55 AM

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19 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_factnfiction101_*

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Posted 27 June 2007 - 12:55 AM

I just recently bought a new 10 gallon tank and I'm wanting to raise some Rainbow Darters with a Northern Hog sucker (picture,information) Hypentelium nigricans. I was wondering if they will be ok with darters (until it gets bigger)? I'm going to buy a bigger tank in a few months or whenever I need it (I know they can grow 2 feet long).

My friend is going to adopt it, when it becomes too big. He has a creek full of crawdads (crayfish) that runs into his big pond. So it should be well fed, hopefully.

If anyone has ever raised these fish, please give me some tips [-o<

. If anyone has raised Invertivores before, feel free to share some wisdom also.

Edit: Here's some pictures...
Posted Image

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#2 Guest_Gambusia_*

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Posted 28 June 2007 - 11:44 AM

Keep your water clean and clear.

Feed it small snails, bug nymphs and red worms.

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#3 Guest_factnfiction101_*

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Posted 28 June 2007 - 08:55 PM

They're not eating, unless they are when I'm gone

I also caught some rainbow darters and put them in the tank today.

I'll look for some nymphs to feed them.

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#4 Guest_Gambusia_*

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Posted 28 June 2007 - 09:35 PM

I had a giant one once and it would slurp up nightcrawlers.

I caught it fishing on a nightcrawler too.

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#5 Guest_factnfiction101_*

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Posted 29 June 2007 - 11:32 AM

I had a giant one once and it would slurp up nightcrawlers.

I caught it fishing on a nightcrawler too.

A guy I use to fish with caught one on a crayfish lure. I would say it was about a foot long. At the time I thought they were some sort of mix between a carp and a catfish.

I'm going to try different things.

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#6 Guest_drewish_*

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Posted 29 June 2007 - 11:47 AM

Your best bet would be live blackworms, as they will bury themselves in the sand (you have sand right?) for the hog sucker to sift through.

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#7 Guest_factnfiction101_*

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Posted 29 June 2007 - 12:15 PM

I never have used sand, would it be better for them?

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#8 Guest_drewish_*

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Posted 29 June 2007 - 12:44 PM

In the wild, the hog suckers sift through sand/loose bottom looking for food. That said, you have to make sure your intake can handle blocking suspended sand.

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#9 Guest_factnfiction101_*

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Posted 02 July 2007 - 11:22 PM

In the wild, the hog suckers sift through sand/loose bottom looking for food. That said, you have to make sure your intake can handle blocking suspended sand.

They seemed really stressed, so my friend took them to his grandfathers pond. I'm not sure how they will do, but the pond is pretty big.

I'm not sure if a 10 gallon was too small for it, but the biggest northern hog sucker wasn't that big (2 inches and 2nd was probably an inch). The darters didn't seem to mind them at all. I have no idea why they were so stressed.

The tank is in our bedroom, hardly around anybody.

The rainbow darters seem to be doing fine

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#10 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 03 July 2007 - 04:41 PM

I'm not sure how they will do, ...

Oh, too bad. They're gonna die in there. :cry:

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#11 Guest_factnfiction101_*

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Posted 03 July 2007 - 09:23 PM

Haha, I can see you're at your doom and gloom posting again

My family saw my rainbow darters, and now they want some of them.

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#12 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 06 July 2007 - 09:39 AM

Haha, I can see you're at your doom and gloom posting again

Yeah, and it appears I have a new sig! I sense the Hand of God in all of this. Fishes living and dying, people getting dissed for keeping tropicals, this whole forum thing, - it's all out of my hands. We are but pawns for the amusement of Administrator and His minions. The horrible truth is that there are probably fewer than 100 actual members here - the other 400+ members are merely different manifestations of the Gods, intended to lure the unsuspecting into their traps. With a single keystroke, they can make it as if you never existed - all those online witticisms lost in time, like tears in rain.

Oh yeah, what were we talking about?

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#13 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 06 July 2007 - 11:05 AM

Awe Irate, don't take it so hard. I had half as much fun editing your signature as you had telling all the poor unsuspecting new members that their fish were going to die.

I heart Irate

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#14 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 06 July 2007 - 11:20 AM

Those hogsuckers ARE going to die in that pond! Everybody knows it, they just hate it when I'm right. And don't forget, the majority of forum members polled say I'm right, EVERY TIME!

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#15 Guest_flamingo_*

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Posted 06 July 2007 - 11:41 AM

Rainbow darters and a shy eater, not a good combo.

I have one in my 65 planted, it took 2 weeks for it to eat- and it's about 6 inches or so. After constant feeding, it finally took a cube of bloodworms I threw in the tank.
Idk, from what i've seen with "suckers" really, is not a lot adjust as well as something along the lines of a shiner, darter, bass, etc. which start eating in a few minutes. It's kind of settled in a little more the past few weeks, but it's still extremely jumpy and needs to be target fed almost.

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#16 Guest_NateTessler13_*

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Posted 06 July 2007 - 01:08 PM

The key to raising a Northern Hogsucker (as I'm sure Farmertodd will chime in when he gets around to it) is saturation of the sand/loose gravel with things for the Hogsucker to be constantly foraging on. "Suckers" in general need a lot of food and grow rather large and quickly. Also a peculiar thing I have noticed with Hogsuckers that I've kept is that they do best when there is some other type of fish in there that is an active feeder. This is where Todd would chime in by saying something along the lines of that these fish are sociable feeders it seems...I can't remember the words he uses to describe it, but that's the general idea. So, loosen up the gravel and add some active feeders (try Blacknose Dace, Central Stoneroller Minnows, or even Southern Redbelly Dace as tankmates). Hope that helps a little.

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#17 Guest_bullhead_*

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Posted 06 July 2007 - 01:32 PM

farmertodd says that suckers need to have "lots of eyes". He put an extensive sucker writeup as a rely to this redhorse thread: http://forum.nanfa.o...p?showtopic=782

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#18 Guest_bflowers_*

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Posted 06 July 2007 - 11:22 PM

farmertodd says that suckers need to have "lots of eyes". He put an extensive sucker writeup as a rely to this redhorse thread: http://forum.nanfa.o...p?showtopic=782

I have a 6" Northern Hogsucker in our 125 gallon tank. He seems to be doing fine tho he is the laziest fish in the tank. We nicknamed him the "tank potato". He like to lay in the front and center of the tank facing into the current of a powerhead. When the fish our fed I try to drop some food into the current and bounce it to him. What is unusual about his feeding is the food will go right past him and he will not move, but if the food actually hits his mouth then he will eat that bit. I have had him about a month now and he seems to be fattening up some. I have also noticed that sometimes he will nose around in the gravel/sand looking for food but never straying far from his spot in the current.

Bill F.

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#19 Guest_factnfiction101_*

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Posted 07 July 2007 - 03:33 AM

Those hogsuckers ARE going to die in that pond! Everybody knows it, they just hate it when I'm right. And don't forget, the majority of forum members polled say I'm right, EVERY TIME!

They might die, whatever makes you happy

Also, thanks for all of the info

When I was collecting these guys I should have paid more attention, they were in with little schools with other fish. I noticed they stayed with the school pretty good.

Update on my rainbow darters:
They're doing very good. They have become more colorful than when I first got them. I think they're all males. I also collected another type of darter, I'm not sure what kind it is. I'll take some pictures of it later.

They love tiny hellgramites.