stocking native 75g nonplanted

[glamp88]

I'm starting up a 75 gallon non-planted aquarium that I would like to stock with native fish. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience? Any tips as to which fish exhibit interesting behavior? What will do well long term, etc.? Thanks.

[Mzungu]

Re: stocking native 75g nonplanted

Wow, very cool!

First off, are you planning on collecting your own fish? How far are you willing to travel?  

[glamp88]

Re: stocking native 75g nonplanted

I am planning on collecting my own fish. I'd be willing to travel less than 90 minutes. However, I do make non-fish related trips where I find myself a considerable distance from Houston. I would probably be able to incorporate a collection trip into one of these, so please don't let travel get in the way of your suggestions.

[myjohnson]

Re: stocking native 75g nonplanted

Texas cichlids! A big WC pair would look nice in a 75.  When they breed you will have hundreds of fry swimming with them. And you can even feed them live guppies.

This is a very interesting topic.  Keep us updated!

[finfan]

Re: stocking native 75g nonplanted

where do you have to go to actually catch a texas cichlid?  i thought you have to travel towards the southwest side of the state to actually find them and also how do you catch these fast fish?

[CichlidFan]

Re: stocking native 75g nonplanted

spinning tackle and red worms.... :)

CF

[wesleydnunder]

Re: stocking native 75g nonplanted

where do you have to go to actually catch a texas cichlid?  i thought you have to travel towards the southwest side of the state to actually find them and also how do you catch these fast fish?

A bobber, worm and barbless hook. Down in the valley they call 'em Rio Grande perch, and catch 'em to eat.

I kept a native tank several years ago. I found that red-eared sunfish are some of the meanest fish in the world. They were worse than damsels and jewels combined. I did have several spawns in the tank; pit spawning similar to some cichlids. The most peaceful natives I kept were crappies. They were a little hard to get converted from live food to cichlid sticks but eventually they ate them and the hikari large pellets.

Check with Texas Parks and Wildlife to make sure it's ok to keep natives. I think it still is, you just can't release them back into the wild later.

Mark

[myjohnson]

Re: stocking native 75g nonplanted

where do you have to go to actually catch a texas cichlid?  i thought you have to travel towards the southwest side of the state to actually find them and also how do you catch these fast fish?

Me and EK use to catch them with regular fish nets from the bayou off Ella and 249 (North Houston).  I'm sure you can find them in any bayou around the city.

[Nickintex]

Re: stocking native 75g nonplanted

I personally like native shiners, killifish, and madtom catfish. Golden killifish and blackstriped killifish can be caught at Duessen Park at Lake Houston. Shiners and mollies can be caught in the local bayous with baited minnow traps.
Here's a great page for native fish, though I have yet to encounter any shark in our freshwater,  :wink:  

http://www.dan-johnson.net/fish/houston_fish.html

[Mzungu]

Re: stocking native 75g nonplanted

Check with Texas Parks and Wildlife to make sure it's ok to keep natives. I think it still is, you just can't release them back into the wild later.

Yup, it's perfectly all right to keep natives here in Texas. I would have far fewer tanks if it wasn't!

glamp88 - check out some of our collecting threads here on HFB. I'll look for a few and link them on this thread for ya in a little bit.

All the above suggestions are great. I tend to keep many of the smaller natives, like those Nick commented on. I have darters, numerous killifish (Fundulus and Lucania), and even some gobies. It all depends on your preferences. But there are tons of options, big and small.  :)

I have to agree that Texas cichlids are probably easier to catch with fishing rods! Earlier in May, at the ALA convention in San Antonio, we saw quite a few Texas cichlids jump clear out of our seine.

Thanks for posting that link, Nick. That's probably my favorite I've found on native Texans!