Native tank room mates

[Drew1987]

Hey all,

I've got a great native set up but just pumpkinseeds and bluegills. I'd love to have something in there that cleans up the bottom like a large pleco or something but they eat everything. they have actually nipped my fingers lol. At one point we put a few large crayfish in there.... bad idea, they ganged up on them, ripped their shells off from behind and at them =0

So, what would go well in there with them? cant be something that gets huge (bullhead probably wont work even if i could find one) and has to be something that wont get eaten. I have considered putting snails in there thinking maybe they move too slow to trigger the sunfish's attention, but dont want to kill a nerite to find out.... also the tank isnt heated. I've considered putting it to 75(f) in winter and 85(f) in summer to see if i can get better colors from them, but they are very happy/healthy and I dont want to mess with it.


there is VERY little support for native tanks


Thank you

 

[charliebankston]

Plecos are poop machines. Only add a large common pleco if you want more detritus in the water. Pumpkinseeds are so cool, one day i want to set up a large native tank with perch

 

[charliebankston]

Maybe clown loaches...??

 

[Drew1987]

Yea it’s an amazing tank! Clown loaches may work if I can find big ones. These fish slurp down 2” rosy reds like nothing. Would hate to see then hammer down loaches!
I’d recommend a native tank to anyone but I’d recommend 120+ I have 55 and it’s tough to keep them “happy” (but we do)

 

[charliebankston]

I almost did a 90g native species tank recently. I did some research on pumpkins and Green perch. But I put my bossy Green terror, salvini and convict in there. One day I'm going to do one. I'd like to do a 125g tho

 

[D-Fish]

I do not know if you can keep them but I know a native fish that we see in streams around here is the northern hogsucker.

 

[charliebankston]

I've never heard of it before. It's a cool looking fish!

 

[Drew1987]

Wow that is exactly what I need!!! Only thing is, I’m almost 34 and started fishing at 3. Wondering creeks and streaks as a kid was commonplace as well. I’ve. Ever seen one of these!

I guess in the spring I’ll try to catch one! If it’s the same size as the sunfish I’m sure they’ll leave it alone.

I’d love to have a 125 for these guys but that’s bot ideal on a first floor with a basement under it. I’d put it in the basement but that’s being finished into a play area/movie theatre. My kids are very well behaved; I don’t worry about breakables and light colored walls/carpet/furniture all over the house but I would like a place for them to be able to get crazy if they want to especially given our 8 months of winter (lol) so I don’t think a 125 in that same space would be wise. I could just see a tonka truck going through the side of it


I REALLY want to find one of these hogs. Doing some research on them

 

[D-Fish]

Wow that is exactly what I need!!! Only thing is, I’m almost 34 and started fishing at 3. Wondering creeks and streaks as a kid was commonplace as well. I’ve. Ever seen one of these!



I guess in the spring I’ll try to catch one! If it’s the same size as the sunfish I’m sure they’ll leave it alone.



I’d love to have a 125 for these guys but that’s bot ideal on a first floor with a basement under it. I’d put it in the basement but that’s being finished into a play area/movie theatre. My kids are very well behaved; I don’t worry about breakables and light colored walls/carpet/furniture all over the house but I would like a place for them to be able to get crazy if they want to especially given our 8 months of winter (lol) so I don’t think a 125 in that same space would be wise. I could just see a tonka truck going through the side of it





I REALLY want to find one of these hogs. Doing some research on them

They're much easier to catch if you're using a throw net. We used to catch them all the time when we was fishing for minnows.

 

[Drew1987]

Where are you located? I didn’t even know they exist, I am in Rochester New York. Wouldn’t know where to even begin to look for them

 

[D-Fish]

Where are you located? I didn’t even know they exist, I am in Rochester New York. Wouldn’t know where to even begin to look for them

I live in east TN.

 

[Drew1987]

Ahhh! Knoxville or Chattanooga? I am trying to move my family to Knoxville but our Business won’t transfer there easily at all so maybe KY or Greenville Spartanburg instead. Not sure yet - got a few years to choose.

That said, as the kid that had to be forced to get out of the creek for meals/sleep, I’d remember those if I saw one, and I never have. Not sure they are here. But I guess I can snag one when I am down your way? 5 gal food grade bucket and an aid stone!?

 

[D-Fish]

Ahhh! Knoxville or Chattanooga? I am trying to move my family to Knoxville but our Business won’t transfer there easily at all so maybe KY or Greenville Spartanburg instead. Not sure yet - got a few years to choose.

That said, as the kid that had to be forced to get out of the creek for meals/sleep, I’d remember those if I saw one, and I never have. Not sure they are here. But I guess I can snag one when I am down your way? 5 gal food grade bucket and an aid stone!?

I live about 2 hours East of Knoxville closer to the North Carolina border. I live within an hour of Asheville North Carolina.

There is an awesome aquarium in Chattanooga that I have been to. Lots of native fish species there and if you have not been a highly recommend going.

 

[D-Fish]

There also is one place online that I see sell them also if you can't collect one from the wild.
I really want to get some of the blue spot sunfish that is on the site. They supposed to be native to this area also but I have never seen one.

 

[Drew1987]

Oh, I didn’t realize there was a full two hours between Knoxville and the western North Carolina border! Guess I’ll experience it soon… We are hoping sometime in late March to go down and check out a few of the towns that may work for us, and since we are so close, I would probably add that aquarium to our list!

I didn’t find that website that sells native fish… Wheels turning about some absolutely massive tank LOL

I did find this local information about these fish: I cannot believe all of the 90s and 2000s, My family couldn’t keep me out of the creeks and lakes yet I never came across one… Crazy!

 

[D-Fish]

Oh, I didn’t realize there was a full two hours between Knoxville and the western North Carolina border! Guess I’ll experience it soon… We are hoping sometime in late March to go down and check out a few of the towns that may work for us, and since we are so close, I would probably add that aquarium to our list!



I didn’t find that website that sells native fish… Wheels turning about some absolutely massive tank LOL



I did find this local information about these fish: I cannot believe all of the 90s and 2000s, My family couldn’t keep me out of the creeks and lakes yet I never came across one… Crazy!

The website I saw was aquaculturestore.
I have no idea about what they are like though. I've not ordered anything from there yet. I just came across them.

 

[Drew1987]

Well shoot given that map, probably makes sense to give it a try if we ever get spring. No temps above freezing in the foreseeable future. That means shipping a fish probably isn’t that great either

The winters here can be ridiculous. We had snow third week may. Blessed fall/early winter, though. No house heat needed until 11/1 then randomly so warm second Tuesday of November, my kids swam in one of the Great Lakes! We’ve had 24” snowfalls around that time in years past.


Anyway a hog sucker is on my list! Though it will be pushing it with this tank. I bet 3 of the sunnies are 3”, 1 is 5” and one is 6”. They are in 55 well-planned gallons each with their own “spot” and it’s worked out quite well. Not sure what I am going to do with they get too big, as a 75 is the largest I can have unless I move them to the basement which I don’t want to do. 75 is obviously barely an improvement. For the time, all is well. 33% weekly water changes with algae cleaning has contributed to their better color and overall hearth. They got and beat a nasty disease at one point. Overall a great tank

 

[D-Fish]

Well shoot given that map, probably makes sense to give it a try if we ever get spring. No temps above freezing in the foreseeable future. That means shipping a fish probably isn’t that great either

The winters here can be ridiculous. We had snow third week may. Blessed fall/early winter, though. No house heat needed until 11/1 then randomly so warm second Tuesday of November, my kids swam in one of the Great Lakes! We’ve had 24” snowfalls around that time in years past.


Anyway a hog sucker is on my list! Though it will be pushing it with this tank. I bet 3 of the sunnies are 3”, 1 is 5” and one is 6”. They are in 55 well-planned gallons each with their own “spot” and it’s worked out quite well. Not sure what I am going to do with they get too big, as a 75 is the largest I can have unless I move them to the basement which I don’t want to do. 75 is obviously barely an improvement. For the time, all is well. 33% weekly water changes with algae cleaning has contributed to their better color and overall hearth. They got and beat a nasty disease at one point. Overall a great tank

I had sunfish. Beautiful and can be as mean as cichlids at times lol. Definitely sounds like they have their territories all established.
What temp are you keeping the tank? I found with many native fish a chiller was going to be needed for optimal health.

 

[Drew1987]

Yea they are beyond aggressive it’s crazy. Also still working out what to feed them. At first it was worms then Minos. They eat flakes but that’s like a person trying to get full one rice grain at a time. Giving them large pellets now but broken.

They are At room temp so 69°. Summer they’ll be 77° is that too high?

 

[D-Fish]

Yea they are beyond aggressive it’s crazy. Also still working out what to feed them. At first it was worms then Minos. They eat flakes but that’s like a person trying to get full one rice grain at a time. Giving them large pellets now but broken.

They are At room temp so 69°. Summer they’ll be 77° is that too high?

77 is a little warm. The sunfish may be ok with that but watch them and consider adding some fans or a chiller is they look to be getting stressed. Frozen water bottles help in a pinch if you have some really hot days.

They will probably be ok but if you have minnows or other creek fish you may have a concern.