I am new to native fish keeping and wish to set up a native species tank. Due to this I have alot of questions. I am from south western New Hampshire (cheshire county, connecticut river drainage) and have always been fascinated by nature and wilflife, I have a BA in biology, and I enjoy fishing. I have alot of questions. Here they are. I hope you do not mind.

I am considering keeping native fish. I haven't tried keeping fish since i was a kid and had goldfish, tetras, catfish, and an angelfish (all of which were eaten by the goldfish) and i have a few questions.

1. Do you need a chiller on a tank for native fish? I know some species need chiller (trout and other salmonids) but what about walleye, smallmouth bass, shiners, dace, and suckers.

2. Should native fish receive any special medical treatment for disease or parasites they may have picked up in the wild? I hear some species (especially perch) are prone to parasites during warmer months.

3. How many feeder minnows should they eat a day?

4. how do the following species (these are the ones i am thinking of raising, but will raise any I catch) fair in captivity? do any have special dietary, water quality, or temperature concerns. (note these species will be sampled from new hampshire where i live). yellow perch, rock bass, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, brown bullhead, chain pickeral, white sucker, black crappie, fallfish. i will likely avoid those that require special treatment. Also would suckers require special food due to their mouths? I am not aiming for the usual minnows and darters (except the fallfish as they grow large come in both silver and purple) but will keep some if i catch them.

5. What food choices are best? bait shop shiners? feeder goldfish? feeder minnows (rosy reds), maybe small tropicals like tetras, earthworms, dried foods (tubiflex, krill), and crickets? Are their small aquatic invertebrates available to feed them (store bought not wild caught). Would a prolific livebearer like guppies provide a renewable, self replenishing food source?

6. which wild species are the easiest and most difficult to keep in captivity. When i was a kid we tried brook trout and a bullhead but they died. (we diodn't have proper temperature control for the trout, and given how i scooped up the bullhead in my hands when i was a kid it was likely sick to begin with)

7. which is the best sampling method to catch wild fish for aquarium use? i do fish but worry on the hook caused injuries effecting captives negatively). How effective is a cast net? dip net? Minnow trap?

8. Does New Hampshire have any special rules about keeping wild fish?

9. What is the best bait for a minnor trap? I considered everything from bread to catfood but have yet to set mine. Do you have to worry about minnow traps being damaged or stolen? What is the best way to mark a minnow trap with the state required contact info.

10. Do you have to be careful with monofilament cast nets? I worry about one snagging a rock and ripping.

11. what's the best way to transport live fish without causing undo stress? when fishing i kept fish "alive and fresh" in a bucket of water when bringing them home, but half the time they die that way.

12. Do you have to take special measures when adding fish to a tank? When i was a kid store bought fish were in a plastic bag when you place them in a tank until the temperature stabilized.

13. How do you know how many fish will do well in a tank of a certain size? and why do people say to judge the size of the tank based on the species maximum size, not the local state maximum, or the state average. (after all if people could farm world record largemouths at home the fishing records would look very different as people would farm raise records to place in private ponds and catch). On the topic of fish size, would a fish captured from a pond with a stunted population stay small when in a tank?

I know you will likely point me to a FAQ answering all of this, but I appreciate any help answering these questions. I have yet to get a tank (I want a large one) so i do not know what size tank i will get.

Welcome to NANFA Thats certainly a lot of questions all right and you have come to the right place to have them answered, I wont attempt that in this reply, however you may rest assured that someone will be along shortly to address every one. I will however say that you will enjoy keeping natives, and they are a lot easier than you might think. Again welcome and Enjoy your stay.

Welcome to the site! I've posted a document which should answer a number of your questions in this thread, http://forum.nanfa.o...?showtopic=5824. And others are answered in the Captive Discussion forum. If you still have questions after reading both, feel free to ask questions in the Captive Discussion forum.

Several of your questions can really only be answered by you checking out your NH fishing regulations or others that pertain to keeping wildlife in captivity. Members from the region and forum users certainly can provide insight and help with the answers.

I am new to native fish keeping and wish to set up a native species tank. Due to this I have alot of questions. I am from south western New Hampshire (cheshire county, connecticut river drainage) and have always been fascinated by nature and wilflife, I have a BA in biology, and I enjoy fishing. I have alot of questions. Here they are. I hope you do not mind.

I won't try to answer all your questions but can answer a few.
First check your regulations to see what is and isn't allowed. I believe the nanfa forum has a link to the regs of most if not all states.
You shouldn't need a chiller unless you don't have air conditioning and your house gets hot during the summer. Even then a cool basement will usually be cool enough. The fish you describe should all be able to handle mid 70's as long as they are getting good filtration / aeration.
You can pretty much treat newly acquired native fish the way you would newly acquired tropicals. Many people quarantine their new fish whether from the pet store or from the creek, generally a good idea if you have the space. Likewise if fish are obviously parasite or disease ridden when you catch them don't bring them home.
As far as how to bring them home... Smaller and fewer is the way to go. Don't put too many in a bucket at once, also change out the water in the buckets just before you leave, and try to keep the water cool. What has worked for me is to put the buckets in a large cooler, and put a milk jug full of ice in the cooler as well. I don't like to put loose ice around the buckets, but just like to keep the air in the cooler cold.
As for feeding your fish, if you can get them to take prepared food, ie flake or pellet, that will probably be the most convenient/economical. You would need a fairly large setup to grow enough feeder guppies to keep a continous supply, though something like that may be good for adding a little variety to their diet. Also frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp are good as are raw shrimp from the grocery store.
Minnow traps can be fun, you never know what you will find, I have one but don't use it often, partly because I worry about someone stealing / damaging it. Most local sites where I could set it and check it the next day are pretty heavily used. I have used it both baited and unbaited. I have caught more in it unbaited, but haven't really used it enough times to say what works best.
Hope this helps.