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East Texas, New Aquarium


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#1 Guest_cfails_*

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Posted 23 March 2009 - 05:12 PM

I recently picked up a 120 gal. long tank and want to stock it as a natural habitat, i.e., Largemouth, crappie, brim. I'm joining in here to find any information on collecting specimens and the care of them. The tank is already up and running with four shiners just to get it moving along.

#2 Guest_Uland_*

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Posted 23 March 2009 - 07:33 PM

Welcome to the forum cfails. Speaking generally about sunfish care....not terribly different from tropical fish to be honest, just no need for a heater. Most sunfish will convert to pellets and some of the more timid sunfish might settle on frozen foods. I'm not sure I would put LMB and crappie in the same tank but I don't keep LMB. Maybe others can help you with specifics on keeping the two together. It might be difficult for you to collect the two particular fish you mention since most states regulate the method of capture (no nets) as well as size limitations. Each state is different and you should consider looking carefully into your state regulations regarding methods of capture and size limits. You also might want to consider some of the other sunfish where you live that are not restricted in size and often are very brightly colored.

We have quite a few Texas members that might be able to get you pointed in the right direction as far as regulations.

#3 Guest_brian1973_*

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Posted 23 March 2009 - 08:25 PM

LMB minimum size is 14in and crappie is 10in.

Welcome to the forum.

Here a link to the Texas fishing regs.. http://www.tpwd.stat...ns/annual/fish/

Edited by brian1973, 23 March 2009 - 08:29 PM.


#4 Guest_rjmtx_*

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Posted 23 March 2009 - 10:03 PM

Aaach... East Texas has too many fish to fill a tank with centrarchids... There is a plethora of darters and shiners in your backyard! Here's what I'd do, but I'm not you, I'm just an unwavering opinion. For centrachids, I'd look at bantam sunfish, dollar sunfish, flier, and orange spotted sunfish. as for Cyprinids (don't know how east you are, but here are some cool east Tx that are legal) look into: red shiners (not high on coolness, but pretty none-the-less), shoal chub, taillight shiner (stunning), blackspot shiner, Sabine shiner, Mississippi silvery minnow, silverband shiner, ironcolor shiner, pugnose minnow... shoot, I could go on and on. There are lots of cool minnows out there if you take the time and learn a little about them. Look into darters-East Tx if full of all types of darters that love slack water and are beautiful. Freckled and tadpole madtoms are everywhere. Topminnows are cool tank-fish, too. Pirate Perch are neat little freaks.

If you still want to go with bigger fish, look into grass pickeral and maybe a male bowfin. The bowfin will be a hog and might make fish disappear in the night, but is one of my favorites anyway. I'd stay away from bass because they are so territorial that it's tough to keep anything else alive in a tank with them for any extended period of time in my experience. Also, stay away from the run-of-the-mill channel and blue cats unless you have a pond to dump them in later. Same goes for flatheads. Stick with bullhead cats-we have two types: yellow and black.

The main thing is that any game fish has to be legal size (if there is one, which for many centrarchids there are no size limits) and caught on a hook and line. The only protected minnow you'll run into (if you're a very luck SOB) is the bluehead shiner up in the Sulpher and Cypress drainages around Caddo. Unfortunately this is also a drop-dead gorgeous fish. Don't keep them. Look and toss back cuz they're hard enough to find as it is.

I do most of my sampling from the Brazos west though the hills and to the desert, but I love it when I have a chance to go out east because the diversity is so high and it's like Christmas pulling a seine through some of those little black creeks that are full of surprises.

Where are you located? East Texas might as well be state in itself.

Here's a link that will help shed some light on what kind of stuff you have out there. Distributions and habitat preferences are in the descriptions.
http://www.bio.txsta...onner/txfishes/

#5 Guest_brian1973_*

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Posted 24 March 2009 - 08:14 PM

Here's a link that will help shed some light on what kind of stuff you have out there. Distributions and habitat preferences are in the descriptions.
http://www.bio.txsta...onner/txfishes/


AHHH I forgot all about that book, I got a copy as a christmas gift and it is a very good field guide. It also gives you the status of what is protected threatened, ect.

#6 Guest_Jim_*

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Posted 27 March 2009 - 10:20 PM

Welcome to the Forum Cfails :smile2: Nice to be able to just ask a question, and get good reliable answers....isnt it??? Please enjoy



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