Caught my first Sculpin today!

I went searching for rocks to put in my 55g today, as I am setting it up for a Pickerel tank once they start showing up for sale. While I was collecting the rocks, I noticed a Sculpin shooting out of the rocks. I thought about keeping him but do not know much about them. Can anyone with experience help me out on them? This is my first native tank. Thanks!

Edited by AppStateBimmer, 28 March 2008 - 05:38 PM.

Sculpins are one of the more difficult natives to care for IMO. They require clean, cold and well oxygenated water. They also are a bit difficult to feed preferring live food or frozen.

Many years ago, I kept a few sculpins. Never could get them to eat anything but live food - if it wasn't moving around, they weren't interested in it. I have a creek full of banded sculpins, fed by a large spring. Fortunately, I was able to catch enough live food in the creek for them, mostly a tiny brown shrimplike creature that I never did identify.

I will say that they didn't have quite the personality of darters. The sculpins I kept tended to be a bit dour, hanging out under a rock all day, while the darters go poking their noses into just about everything.

Sculpins are one of the more difficult natives to care for IMO. They require clean, cold and well oxygenated water. They also are a bit difficult to feed preferring live food or frozen.

Ditto -- definitely not a "beginner" fish by any means. I tried to keep two a couple years back, and both died within about a week. They're shy enough (at least in daytime) that they get outcompeted by just about anything. Room temperature is probably too warm for them. I won't try keeping them again unless I'm set up with a chiller and have a tank dedicated *only* to sculpins.

ok, thanks for the input! There is a creek FULL of them near my house which is why I entertained the possibility of keeping them.

A couple of years ago I grew a couple of Mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdii)* on frozen foods. They learned to eat any frozen foods I placed in the tank pretty quickly and recognized me as a food source in a week or two. Unfortunately the temps exceeded 73 degrees F and they perished while I was out of town. Temperature was issue with this fish for sure.

I sampled several sites that were lowland streams with the typical swampy type fish but also contained quite a few Banded sculpin (Cottus carolinae)*. The fish I collected from the warm, sluggish waters seem unaffected by lower than typically acceptable oxygen levels and warm temps. This could also have something to do with the species.

Anyone else find (Cottus carolinae) in warm sluggish streams?

*possibly either or both of these fishes are now recognized as other species however I don't have the most recent distribution info for them.

I have a creek full of banded sculpins, including a monster 4" one I caught a few days ago, but turned loose as I feared he might eat my smaller darters. But, it's a fairly cold, spring fed creek - don't think they like warm water.

Just added a more modestly sized one to the tank, and he seems fairly happy. When I kept these some years ago, they would only like live food, but we'll see how he does with frozen bloodworms. They've been a big hit with the darters.

The darters will be a big hit with the sculpins!

The darters will be a big hit with the sculpins!

This little guy is too small to eat the darters, maybe 1.5" long, though I did find another large one, over 3". Left it in the creek, needless to say. They're sort of scary looking when they get that big. So far, he has ignored the frozen food. I do have the tank heavily filtered/oxygenated, with a reef filter, Fluval 405 canister filter (love that quick change), and long air stick. He seems quite happy, otherwise. Ignored the many rocks I left in the tank, and prefers to bury his pectorals in the sand.

Interesting to note that since he's been in the tank, his coloration has become more distinct. From a muddy brown, it has developed dark and light spots, particularly on it's head. Now, if the rainbows I found will just do the same...