OFF TOPIC: Does anyone here keep native fish?

[kev]

Just wanderin if any of you keep native fish in your area, FW or salt. I currently have a 55 goin with 2 small largemouth bass, theyre really cool. Both caught on small spinnerbaits. Theyre about 3-4inches a piece, and they are getting fatter by the day. I feed them minnows and worms from the LBS (local bait shop, heh) and they seem to be doing great. I'm thinking of adding another fish of some type, not sure yet, maybe a baby crappie or catfish. I think native set ups are pretty cool and would like to see how many people are doing this sort of thing.

 

[krishj39]

I have kept native fw species in the past. Mainly I kept bluegill (sunnies) and crayfish. I always enjoyed the fish, they had lots of personality, but the reason I stopped was because I always ended up struggling with parasites. It took me years to get rid of them in one tank, I had to dry the entire tank out, including the gravel, for several months before I got rid of it After that, I decided it wasn't worth the trouble.
kris

 

[killa]

I have a few in my tank, Ring tailed surgeon, Double stripe Rabbitfish are local too my area.

 

[fireeater]

Right now in my fw tank I have a 14" Clownknife and a 15" Gar. There are also 2 giant crawfish that was spared from the boiling pot. (You would think they would be grateful, but nooooo)
I had a Catfish at one time I raised from about 4 inches. He got to big and was set free.
I also had a largemouth bass that got to be about 12". He was an eating machine! That guy could gobble down some goldfish!
He got to big also. I have been meaning to catch another one. I catch them by castnet in a brackish water ditch locally. That ditch has everything, mullet, minnows, bass, perch, carp, crabs, crawfish and so much more.
We call it "The ditch of many wonders." hehe

 

[surfnturf]

I've often thought about it, kept a few pumpkinseed sunfish as a kid. The funny thing is that a lot of people like large carnivores like Oscars but they never try to keep some of the fish you can find in the local lake or river. It would take a large tank, but it would be sweet to keep a Northern Pike, those things are like freshwater sharks. I'd rather have a pike than a pirhana.

 

[krishj39]

Surf, I definitely agree with you. ONE pike is MUCH better than ONE pirhana! My pirhana is the most boring fish ever. It grew up with other pirhana, but it killed them all. Then it was alone in the tank. Since they get really shy by themselves, it never swam around. Gradually, I put it in smaller and smaller tanks, because it honestly didn't need it, the thing never moves! It's in a 15 gallon now, I had it in a 10 for a while, and that was all it needed, but I felt bad and had the 15 lying around. SO, yes, pike would be much more fun. However, I have to say they probably wouldn't be as much fun as Oscars. Oscars, IMO, come close to having the amount of personality triggers have. They are a riot. I wonder if pike would still be as bold and such if they were confined to a tank?
Kris