Hello!  I only recently discovered the existence of NANFA, when I started googling some fish species that caught my eye from the latest issue of TFH.  I'm a long time 'armchair aquarist', with an on-again-off-again habit of housing and breeding African cichlids (Tanganyikan in particular).  The latest 'off' period has been way too long, though, and the latest issue of TFH sparked an interest in native species.  I'm planning to set up a 40 gallon tank for a native fish of the southeastern US, but as is my wont I tend to over-research before undertaking an aquatic adventure.  I hope y'all are patient with me

-GB

Welcome. You're in a great area for native fish as well as some active NANFA members (including our ex-president Bruce, who I think lives in Huntsville). You're not far from Rainbow Shiners, one of the most beautiful native minnows, and they do very well the aquarium. If you haven't already used it, FishMap is a great resource for finding locations of native fish species or seeing what's in your local watersheds. And I highly recommend observing fish while snorkeling, if you're able. There's a member in Chattanooga (Casper) who knows many good spots in the general area and goes out a lot.

Also, I'd encourage you check out our main webpage and the membership option. As a member, you would receive an excellent quarterly publication as well as be contributing to grants that help native fish causes.

Welcome to NANFA. You're lucky to have easy access to the Flint and upper Paint Rock systems, which are highly diverse and easy to work in. Check out scarlet shiners, Lythrurus fasciolaris, for a good aquarium species that's interesting looking and adapts well to captivity with large enough systems. They can figure out that flake is food pretty quickly, although other stuff is good too.

Thanks, guys.  I'll check out that fishmap, and look into both Rainbow and Scarlet shiners.  Joining NANFA is on my to-do list, as soon as the hobby budget allows.

Fundulus -- how large is "large enough"?

20 gal. or more with significant water flow.

I'm also in Huntsville, ( well, Madison )  and have been looking for a partner for exploring/collecting.