Fish Indentification?

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LEBEANPOLE

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Jan 7, 2012
Messages
50
Location
New Orleans, LA
I live in Louisiana and recently went fishing near Delacroix. While I was collecting my shrimp for bait I saw some fish in the bait wells there. They looked like pleco, but they hovered mid water and didn't seem to go after the Algae. I did see they had some pleco in the tank that were larger and hugged the bottom of the tank( so not them I think). I asked the guy helping me get bait but he didn't seem amused(maybe it was because it was 6AM). The fish in question had BRIGHT white/orange-ish tips on its side fins. Any Ideas? I will definitely bring a camera the next fishing trip. I'm might want to collect one, but I don't want to get a fish I might hurt in a strictly fresh water tank. I'm hoping someone might have some ideas about its classification.
 
Darter maybe.

I don't think the chubs, but the Darters look closer. They seemed a bit shorter and the other thing was they stayed in the middle of the water column. I'm just going to have to go back and get one or at least snap a photo.
 
Sounds a lot like a darter, but most stick to the bottom. We have smaller ones around here (mid MO) that are beautiful but wouldn't make it in an aquarium as they are extraordinarily fickle. Sometimes I'll catch a few on accident while getting crawdads for bait when I go fishing for smallmouth...
 
Sounds a lot like a darter, but most stick to the bottom. We have smaller ones around here (mid MO) that are beautiful but wouldn't make it in an aquarium as they are extraordinarily fickle. Sometimes I'll catch a few on accident while getting crawdads for bait when I go fishing for smallmouth...

I'll plan on taking precautions if I decided to get one and I'll be sure to post a pic if I can get a good one. Do you have wild fish tanks?
 
Sorry it took me so long to get back...I have in the past but do not anymore. Darters require a lot of current and super clean water. Plus they do not take temp changes very well. They won't eat most foods and don't live long out of water. I wouldn't recommend trying to keep them although they can be beautiful fish.
 
Thanks for the response

I have plenty of circulation as I have three working filters all rolling the water in the same direction. Still I think you may have talked me out of them at least for a while. Thanks.

BTW I still haven't gotten a pic cause my bait shop won't have shrimp until may and has closed. I will at least try to get that to solve the mystery once and for all.

Randal
 
NP They are probably better left alone. Also, if you do decide to go for it make sure it is not illegal to keep them where you live, some species of darter are considered threatened, or worse, so you might check that out, too.
 
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