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#1 Guest_Dale1k_*

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Posted 10 November 2007 - 01:17 PM

Hello all..

I just started a tank up (125 gallon) 3 weeks ago and am looking for some advise/info.. I currently have 3 pumpkinseed sunfish(all < 4inches), 2 Bluegills(each about 3 1/2 inches) and 2 store bought green catfish.. I live in the St Louis area and have caught the natives in the tank using barbless hooks.. They are all doing fine and already eating flake food.. Of course, the "boss" of the tank is the larger of the pumpkinseeds. I should mention that the sunfish were caught in a river and I knew this particular fish was going to be feisty as it hit a lure I normally use for smallmouth bass..
Anyway, my dilema is trying to find more bottom feeders.. The 2 green catfish in a 125 tank aren't enough.. Trying to avoid bullheads and mad toms so am wondering if anyone has used store bought tropical catfish for their tanks.. ?? Also, am trying to catch a small carp but that seems to be almost impossible.. Any suggestions would be welcome !!
Also, when "collecting", are most of you using seines or catching your fish.. ?? I have caught alot of weird minnows/chubs while fishing for smallmouth bass but that was before I had the tank.. Now I would like to get some of these but not sure how easy they will be to catch now that water temps have dropped in the rivers..
Anyway, I am glad a site like this exists.. I had a 50 gallon tank full of natives back in the early 70's and it was a fantastic tank. There are all kinds of different fish in the rivers around here so I am looking to add some to make this tank as good as well.
Thanks.

Dale

#2 Guest_smbass_*

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Posted 10 November 2007 - 02:00 PM

welcome to the site! A lot of us here collect fish using nets, just be sure to check your local regulations as far as the size of net you can use and what species you can collect using a seine. Many states do not allow you to collect sunfish species with nets because they are considered a gamefish. Also I would be willing to bet that your pumpkinseeds are longear sunfish becuase you are way outside the native range of pumkinseeds in the St. Louis area. If your interested in collecting sunfish a small barbless hook can be a good and legal method in almost every case. Hope this helps, and if you want to be sure on the id of your sunfish you have now post a picture in the id section and I'm sure myself or others can help you out.

#3 Guest_Dale1k_*

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Posted 10 November 2007 - 05:58 PM

Thanks for the info.. I talked to the MDC(Missouri Department of Conservation) and you can more or less keep anything that is within the legal restrictions with hook and line.. I really don't want to add anymore sunfish.. and yes.. you are correct about them being Longear.. They have adapted very quickly and do not even shy away anymore.. I suspect that I will have to use a seine for the minnow/chub type species we have in the area.. I am not that far from some very pristine Ozark streams so this should be very interesting and fun..
Have a great day..



quote name='smbass' date='Nov 10 2007, 01:00 PM' post='23026']
welcome to the site! A lot of us here collect fish using nets, just be sure to check your local regulations as far as the size of net you can use and what species you can collect using a seine. Many states do not allow you to collect sunfish species with nets because they are considered a gamefish. Also I would be willing to bet that your pumpkinseeds are longear sunfish becuase you are way outside the native range of pumkinseeds in the St. Louis area. If your interested in collecting sunfish a small barbless hook can be a good and legal method in almost every case. Hope this helps, and if you want to be sure on the id of your sunfish you have now post a picture in the id section and I'm sure myself or others can help you out.



#4 Guest_bullhead_*

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Posted 11 November 2007 - 11:27 AM

Hey! What's wrong with bullheads and madtoms? A bullhead might eat his tankmates, but some madtoms are nice. Also, many of the native non-catfish species will forage on the bottom looking for leftovers.

Any "tropical" fish will live with natives, as long as the temperature and water parameters are within their limits. Lots of NANFA members seem to keep loricarids (plecostomous). What are "green catfish"? (Corydorus aeneus?) Check out www.planetcatfish.com . You will find lots of husbandry info for any catfish at your LFS.

#5 Guest_vmahaffe_*

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Posted 11 November 2007 - 11:35 AM

I've kept white suckers in my tanks in the past to help clean up the bottom. They are pretty good at foraging and eating any left over food and help to stir the waste up from the bottom so the filter can do it's job. Some of the bait shops in MN and MI carry these, so you may want to check there.

#6 Guest_bullhead_*

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Posted 11 November 2007 - 08:21 PM

Suckers have a reputation for being a bit "touchy" to keep. There have been several forum threads with great advice and info, especially from Farmer Todd. I know that the bait shop in Paddock Lake, WI sells suckers, in fairly small sizes (3"). They looked like northern hog suckers to my inexperienced eye, viewed from above. I don't know if they will stock them at this time of year, however.

#7 Guest_vmahaffe_*

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Posted 11 November 2007 - 10:21 PM

Suckers have a reputation for being a bit "touchy" to keep. There have been several forum threads with great advice and info, especially from Farmer Todd. I know that the bait shop in Paddock Lake, WI sells suckers, in fairly small sizes (3"). They looked like northern hog suckers to my inexperienced eye, viewed from above. I don't know if they will stock them at this time of year, however.

They can be a little jumpy and high strung, but once they acclimate, they do alright. I use to feed mine rainbow trout eggs from a hatchery I worked at and they would practically eat out of my hand. Northern hognose are kind of sensitive in aquarium settings, IMO. For .75 each anything's worth a shot.

#8 Guest_mikez_*

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Posted 12 November 2007 - 10:49 AM

They can be a little jumpy and high strung, but once they acclimate, they do alright. I use to feed mine rainbow trout eggs from a hatchery I worked at and they would practically eat out of my hand. Northern hognose are kind of sensitive in aquarium settings, IMO. For .75 each anything's worth a shot.


I've kept white suckers with success but I wouldn't suggest them as "clean up crew". I found they like to graze all day and will get hollow bellied if not specifically target fed. They can't compete with minnows and darters. Not enough food makes it to the bottom or lingers long enough for them. Once you get around that, they live long, grow slow and don't mess with their tank mates. Just don't count on them to do clean up efficiently.

#9 Guest_Dale1k_*

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Posted 14 November 2007 - 09:19 AM

Thanks for the replies.. I havn't logged on for a few days.. Lots of good ideas.. The 2 Green catfish I have are Corys and are doing just fine..
I actually found a tiny(~ 3 inches) Channel Catfish at a Petland store near here.. Go figure.. So far , so good.. That fish is fantastic and doesn't seem to get hassled by any of the other fish.. I have since added a small Koi(as close to a carp as I can get) which also is "performing" just as I had hoped.. So, my bottom feeder problem has been solved..
I had bullheads in a tank a long time ago.. Nothing wrong with them but prefer the channel cat.. He is constantly on the move and is a blast to watch feed when I throw ih the flake food..
From here on out, I will try to get some of the more exotic fish in the Ozark river/stream areas.
That should be interesting..
Great day to all..

Daqle

#10 Guest_Dale1k_*

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Posted 16 November 2007 - 03:15 PM

Excellent idea regarding suckers .. I keep forgetting to check out my local baitshop to see what they have.. Who knows, maybe an exotic minnow or something else may be mixed in.. I have gotten a Stickleback when buying minnows many years ago..
Tank is going great so far.. I never have seen fish get acclimated as quickly as this group.. I cleaned the tank inside today for the first time with an algae scraper.. none of the fish became stressed at all.. In fact, most hung around the cleaning sponge.. A couple of the fish will already allow you to put your hand around them.. Typical Longear behavior ???
Now I know why I missed this so much..
Cheers..

Dale



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