# Ever catch a Stonecat



## Mr. Catfish (Apr 10, 2004)

My brother and his friend went fishing yesterday in the Auglaize river.They brought me these two little catfish about 9in. long.They thought they were baby flatheads ,and thought I might want them for my fish tank  .After I dumped them in I noticed they weren't flatheads .So today I get on the DOW web site and find that they are Stonecat Madtoms and won't get much bigger. This is the first time I ever saw these little catfish and was wondering if anyone else has seen one.Here's a picture of them.


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## catking (Apr 5, 2004)

As a matter of fact I have. Myself and my cousins fished Cowan lake down here in the southwest when I was young and caught a few of these cats. I didn't know what they were at first and looked them up. They don't get big at all. I think they will be perfect for your tank. CATKING


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## Mr. Catfish (Apr 10, 2004)

I was hoping for a baby flathead for my tank.But I think I'm going to hang on to these little guy's for awhile since this the first time seeing one.Plus they have plenty of room in my 135 gallon tank.I LOVE CATFISHES.


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

Having a 135 gallon tank must be awsome Mr. Catfish, what other kind of fish do you have in there?

I've seen my fair share of madtom species, caught most of them while seining in some of my classes. Some only get a few inches "big." I figure they would make a great aquarium fish.


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## PAYARA (Apr 7, 2004)

dude,madtoms are pretty cool fish for aquariums.i would
like to get some but i cant house them with my warm
water fish,and iam not setting up anymore tanks for
cold water species.one day maybe.

if you get the chance to get a small flat around 6in or 
so dont pass it up.i had a few flats and they are very
cool,but can get expensive to house.my 16iner was very
interesting.eventually when i get one of my 300g stock
tanks going or my 1000g indoor pond a liner,i may consider
getting one or two small ones again.thats if they get along
with sterlets


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## Mr. Catfish (Apr 10, 2004)

Fishman I also have several small bluegill and green sunfish,two 5in crappie,and an algea eater.I also have at times creek chubs or small suckers in the tank but they never last more than a few day's.I did have a 8in bass and two black bullheads in it but put them in my parents pond.I don't buy fish food since I catch all my bait. I always have plenty of bait on hand.This year I'm going to try and buy a bait dealer's lisense. Since I almost got in trouble for the amount of bait I had on hand last year.


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## katfish (Apr 7, 2004)

Mr. Catfish

I can give you some help as you search for a baby flathead.
The pectoral and dorsal fins of flathead are cartilage. All other cats have bone in these fins to form sharp spines as defense.










Stone cats have sharp little spines that serve them well for protection. Bullheads are similar in appearance to flatheads and also have a a square tail but the bony fins will help to recognize the difference.


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## Mr. Catfish (Apr 10, 2004)

Thanks Katfish, I might not have kept these stonecats if I have caught them.My brother thought they were flatheads and when I first saw them in the bucket I did too.In the stained water from the top they looked like flatties.It wasn't until he dumped them in my tank I noticed they weren't flatties.Only reason I don't have a flattie yet ,is that I have not caught one small enough.Not that that's a bad thing.  So until then I will keep these little guy's .Thank's for the information ,when it come's to catfish we can alway's count one you for help.


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

I catch a few of those Madtoms every year in our minnow trap while trying for creek chubs.


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## ashtonmj (May 3, 2004)

just jumped boards and i am SO happy to see this one....

Madtoms are very distinguishable because of their fused adipose fin to cadual fin. see how it runs the length of the body along the top. Bullheads can be distinguished between species by the colors on the tips of their barbells and by serations on the back side of their pectoral fin spines. Color itself is usually not a consistent indicator.

Mr. Catfish are you a member of NANFA (North American Native Fish Association)? If not you should look into it. Great organization of alot of people that keep colelct breed and just enjoy native fish, mostly non-game.
You may want to look into the aquaculture license as well as a suppliment or alternative to the bait dealers license becuase of the quantity of fish and because they are non-game fish.

NANFA website is www.nanfa.org
Midwest "region" just took a trip to the Tippecanoe River in Indiana...50 species of natives sampled, including 4 darters that are endangered in Ohio but on the rise over there. Alot of little stuff goes on around in Ohio too.

www.jonahsaquarium.com sells almost exclusively non-game native fish. Ive bought from him in the past, while they can be a little pricey its hard to find these fish, and many cases much cheaper than having to go get them youself.

If you really like keeping stone cats too, try and get a hold of Brindled Madtoms...gorgeous aquarium fish.

As for keeping them, they arent really "cold water fish" they do just fine in year round 70 degree water. Ive kep brindleds, stonecats, and tadpole madtoms like this before, as well as black and yellow bullheads.


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

We had a 8 inch bass in our tank untill recently, had to let him go. He was much to aggesive for the other species we had in there. I had a small flathead at one point, but I turned him into a professor for some extra credit so he could be studied by other students... kinda wish I hadn't now


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## Mr. Catfish (Apr 10, 2004)

ashtonmj since Ive got these little guy's I have checked out the other site's you have mentioned.The nanfa had some informative stuff and I'm considering a membership.I thought brindle madtoms were endangered in Ohio and illegal to possess?I love keeping native specie's.I have kept channel cats,brown and yellow bullheads,small carp,lg mouth bass,crappie,green sunfish,bluegills,redears,pumpkin seed,golden shiners,long nose gar,many different species of minnow,white suckers,and now stonecats.


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## ashtonmj (May 3, 2004)

if you know or could get a smaller longnose gar I know someone that would be VERY interested. One I had caught in Michigan about 2 years ago just died and they are looking to replace it. For the price NANFA is a pretty fun group of enthusiasts, and the ohio group is very friendly and active. Brindled Madtoms are not listed as endangered http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/endangered/endangered4.htm
Northern, Mountain (which look fairly similar), and Scioto (havent been seen in decades) are listed as endangered.

It can get tricky sometimes becuase Ive kept pygmy sunfish in the past as well as blue spotted and banded...in some states along the atlantic they are considered endangered some arent, soley due to range, many cases they had a small historical range to begin with. It all depends on how and where you got them and also if they have been bred or not.

With fish from Ohio you can "trade" basically for no monitary value or profit but you cannot sell non games without a aquaculture license it is my understading or bait. But if yuo breed them you can do what you want with the F1's and F2's. A Nanfa member from Michigan bred orangethroat dartes (and pretty much anythign he touches) by the hundreds and passed em out to everyone that wanted them at a convention 2 years ago.

Where are you located Mr. Catfish...we havent really had any kind of small ohio get together but there are a couple of us that will go out any time possible really. I am finally done house sitting for a grass pike and will have a tank long ready for some fish.


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## Mr. Catfish (Apr 10, 2004)

I might be able to get a longnose gar here when the water warms up.I get them when I am night fishing for catfish.There is a dock I fish from on the Maumee river,and if I put a latern at the end of the dock the minnow's come up and then the small gar come up after them.I from northwest Ohio ,Putnam county.Where are you from?


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## Onion (Apr 10, 2004)

Right now I have a largemouth about 10" in my tank and my god he can eat.

He eats the following every week:

1 dozen large goldfish (about 3")
2 dozen small goldfish
5 -10 crayfish (when I can get them)
Extra crappie minnows  

he will be headed back to the pond this summer. I need to fill the tank back up with pretty fish


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## ashtonmj (May 3, 2004)

I am in Akron. The Ohio region Prez is out in your neck of the woods , somwhere around toledo to be exact, and samples and fishes out there all the time. He just led a large school group collecting last week actually. Thats a great way I bet to catch some small gar. I figure it is a bit early to get them easily. Whenever I caught any it was in the heat of summer and they would be at the surface and you just lunge at them with a dipnet and hope for the best.


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## ashtonmj (May 3, 2004)

wow that is glutenous almost. You could probably cut down on that and he'd be fine. I had a LM for about a year that was 3-4" and grew fast. He got about 2-3 crawlers a day, but only about 3-4 goldfish a week. Because it was a hatchery fish he took pelleted food as well. Crayfish were a treat. Frozen krill also works for smaller fish.

Prior to that there was one that was about 14-16" and he was slim but not concave. He got only pellets and 3 crawlers a day to my knowledge. Its more of a they will eat it if its in their face reaction. 

The grass pike I have now will eat and eat and eat till it chokes to death. You can see their limits much better than a bass becuase their body is so thin and snake like. You can see how they fill up easily and realize that the meal is going to digest so slowly it will hold them for a while.

The gar I was feeding was an alternation of krill and large guppies/minnows and a small bowfin was minnows crayfish and crawlers but never on that type of a scale.


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## Onion (Apr 10, 2004)

I generally feed him till he stops eating.

Like the other day I went and got him a dozen small goldfish. I feed them to him one at a time until he stops taking them. Then I dump the rest in. He then eats one when he feels like it. Otherwise he will keep hitting them until he fills his mouth and has to spit them out to get one down. Then I have dead goldfish that (1) he won't re-eat and (2) cause a huge ammonia spike that I have to remediate.

Nothing funnier than laying in bed after turning out the lights and hearing him smack a goldfish on the surface.

He has completely destroyed all the plants I had in the tank however and overall he is pretty darned boring. he will be more fun to catch later on than he is to watch now.


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