# Native Fish Tank



## Dillon.R.Nott (Oct 4, 2015)

Hello everyone, I been thinking long and hard for 2 months now about this topic. In the span I've done lots of homework and pretty much know what needs to be done. I'm going to get a 40 Gallon Breeder, for freshwater native fish. Now another thing I've reall thought about is what fish to get. I want to hear some of your opinions only favorite fish. My number 1 is Yellow Perch, and I dont know what else to get with them. With a big tank I want to make the most of it. Also should i get perch at 2-3 inches or 4-6 ? Thanks for responses as needed!


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

2 to 3.....not sure how they will be. My best luck luck was lmb smb crappie n gills in a 50 gal.


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## rattlin jones (Nov 16, 2012)

Have had many freshwater fish In a tank when I was young be prepared to clean it a lot


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## Gfhteen (May 20, 2004)

Perch like cooler water I dont think it would do well in a aquarium. Maybe stick with various sunfish. A 40 breeder really isnt a big tank. I currently have a 46g saltwater reef and 230g fresh with mostly cichlids


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## percidaeben (Jan 15, 2010)

Read up on how to do a Darter aquarium.


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## fishingful (Apr 5, 2004)

Growing up we had a 55 gal in the basement. Over the years there were walleye, pike, grass pike, gar, gills, crappie, small and largemouth bass and catfish. We would feed them leaches, worms, minnows, maggots, wax worms and crayfish. The crayfish would last a while depending on how big they were.

I really learned a ton about how fish act and eat. A walleye can suck in and blow out a bait really fast. I was young and it was 30 years ago but I don't think it was heated and they all did ok. Except for the pike and gar. I remember they would die hitting the side of the tank. If they are all the same size they don't eat each other either.


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

I just read an article on what you're about to attempt. It sounds like a 50 gallon tank would be the minimum size for one fifteen inch largemouth. Is that what you found in your research? It also sounds relatively expensive compared to a typical saltwater aquarium and a lot of work to keep clean, which has been mentioned. (I tried to keep exotic pets for a time in my 20's and found myself overwhelmed by the cost and the commitment.) You might want to start with a few gills until you get the hang of it, and decide whether this is something you want to commit to...


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## Dillon.R.Nott (Oct 4, 2015)

I've been researching Perch for awhile, and they'll do fine in a tank, its downstairs too so its a pinch colder. So what other fish should I get with perch?


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## beaver (Sep 28, 2010)

A friend of mine had 6 yellow perch in his aquarium, along with pumpkin seed, a small bass, and a catfish. They did fine. The hardest part was keeping enough bait fish and such to keep everyone happy. The perch were voracious. 

I have a 29 gallon that I kept a bowfin, lmb, and a few bluegill in. They all did ok, but I'd have liked to had more space. They were all the same relative size, but the bass tried to eat everything all the time and kept them all stressed out. Surprisingly, the bowfin didn't bother any of the others really.


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

You should visit Freshwater Farms on Rt 68 north of Urbana.


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## Dillon.R.Nott (Oct 4, 2015)

I live 100 feet away from Freshwater Farms 


FOSR said:


> You should visit Freshwater Farms on Rt 68 north of Urbana.


e


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

Ignore .....


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## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

Hey if you don't have a tank yet let me know. I have an extra 40 breeder around I would be willing to let go for pretty cheap and an extra eheim canister filter! I used to have some bass in a tank but put them into a neighborhood pond when they got too big.


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## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

with perch you could put a lot of other stuff. I would look into getting some big ol ugly sculpins or some bullhead or stonerollers to get some stuff on the bottom.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

I've had a 150 gallon native tank for over 25 years.
Here's my advice -
Absolutely stay away from gamefish. Bass & walleye sound great but they're
a pain. And they definitely limit what else you can put in there with them.
Panfish aren't much better and will get kinda big for your tank. Done perch, and they were the most boring fish
I've kept. An exception would be the little orange-spotted sunfish you can get in N.W. Ohio.

I'd set that up as a river tank - lotsa rocks, gravel and a bunch of current. It's pretty hard to have too much current (my tank has a 350gph main pump, and about another 500 gph in extra pumps). Get a 4' x 4' seine and head to your favorite creek. You should be able to catch darters, dace,
shiners and other goodies. Some of those fish will have colors that are amazing. You'll have a mini-stream ecosystem - Darters, suckers and madtoms on the bottom, shiners, dace and minnows will school around
higher up. All of these fish will feed on frozen bloodworms which makes it fairly easy, better than constantly
getting feeder minnows and such. 

Spend some time here - http://forum.nanfa.org/index.php?sid=5ae7aa7dced0aad3d00b4f5b9b33b774
North American Native Fishes Association. Tons and tons of good info and advice here.

I've had up to 21 species of Ohio fish in my tank at one time, I'd never think of changing it to a tropical tank.

Have fun!!!!


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## Dillon.R.Nott (Oct 4, 2015)

creekcrawler said:


> I've had a 150 gallon native tank for over 25 years.
> Here's my advice -
> Absolutely stay away from gamefish. Bass & walleye sound great but they're
> a pain. And they definitely limit what else you can put in there with them.
> ...


Very cool man very cool! Mad river, and a couple of branches of the Darby are close. Ive seen many shiners in Mad and EVERYTHING in Darby. Tons of rainbow and johnny darters plus huge creek cubs , alot of 3+ inch suckers, rare rock bass, some bluegill, and once i saw a shiney blue fish with red fins, also some scupins and alot more. also had madtoms in a deep pool and we used to catch them with worms. but i havent seen them in awhile. i will keep a thought but i really want perch  maybe river tank + perch?


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

Dillon.R.Nott said:


> Very cool man very cool! Mad river, and a couple of branches of the Darby are close. Ive seen many shiners in Mad and EVERYTHING in Darby. Tons of rainbow and johnny darters plus huge creek cubs , alot of 3+ inch suckers, rare rock bass, some bluegill, and once i saw a shiney blue fish with red fins, also some scupins and alot more. also had madtoms in a deep pool and we used to catch them with worms. but i havent seen them in awhile. i will keep a thought but i really want perch  maybe river tank + perch?


Just as an FYI - You can't seine or otherwise net within Metropark boundaries.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Deazl666 said:


> Just as an FYI - You can't seine or otherwise net within Metropark boundaries.


Hmmm. It's okay in Cleveland Metroparks. If you have a fishing license, it's considered "bait collecting".
Seining gamefish, that's a no-no.
And _definitely_ don't seine in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. They won't even let you take out a bouquet
of weeds (long story). . . . . . 
I think Darby has the some of the most diverse species in the state if I remember right.

Dillon - Sounds like you're really sold on perch. I say go for it! They're pretty much over grown darters, lol.
Perch get along good with other species, as long as they don't fit in their mouth.


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

creekcrawler said:


> Hmmm. It's okay in Cleveland Metroparks. If you have a fishing license, it's considered "bait collecting".
> Seining gamefish, that's a no-no.
> And _definitely_ don't seine in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. They won't even let you take out a bouquet
> of weeds (long story). . . . . .
> ...


The particular metropark I fish in Columbus and perhaps the Central Ohio Metroparks in general bans all seining. Trust me on that one...

Edit: To clarify, there are "no seine/no net" signs posted at popular spots along the creek. The Parks director has authority under Rule 10.6 to ban fishing equipment.


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## Dillon.R.Nott (Oct 4, 2015)

Well i dont live no where near the actual metro park. if you look on google map and type in north lewisburg there are 3 tiny creeks loaded with all the species i listed before, + baby rainbow trout. but if you back track a while you end up in darby or " 3 mile creek "


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Heehee. Trout.


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## Dillon.R.Nott (Oct 4, 2015)

creekcrawler said:


> Heehee. Trout.


. sick dude. the rainbows at freshwater farm are just like that. like phiranas!


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## percidaeben (Jan 15, 2010)

Listen to Creekcrawler. Tell you what though, go to the Home and Garden forums here on OGF. Then search aquaponics. Check out the thread, My setup. The man has a incredible set up! Actually amazing. Harvests Yellow Perch and Tilapia.


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## Dillon.R.Nott (Oct 4, 2015)

will the perch breed in the tank? or will any native fish breed in tanks?


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## Dillon.R.Nott (Oct 4, 2015)

OnTheFly said:


> Hey if you don't have a tank yet let me know. I have an extra 40 breeder around I would be willing to let go for pretty cheap and an extra eheim canister filter! I used to have some bass in a tank but put them into a neighborhood pond when they got too big.


can you send a pic of the tank? and its condition and fliter please.


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## beaver (Sep 28, 2010)

I've got a 29 gallon with a stand,lid, and light if anyone is interested. It's the same one that they sell at Petland with the black trim and cabinet stand.


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## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

Dillon.R.Nott said:


> will the perch breed in the tank? or will any native fish breed in tanks?


Yeah I will try to get some pics and send them your way tonight. The tank is in great condition. All the filter needs is tubing and some media. got it from a friend and it was working great on his tank, he just took down his tank and didn't need it anymore. Eheims are really quality filters (I have one running on my 55 and have had it for around 8 years).


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## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

Forgot to upload pics. Attached are some pics of the 40 breeder, stand, and a couple filters. Tank and stand are in really good conditions no major scratches or anything. Tank just needs cleaned a bit. The filter need some new pad/floss material and eheim needs some new hoses. Also, I do have a glass top for the tank I can throw in sitting in my garage. Let me know if you are interested.


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

I had a goldfish aquarium when I was a kid. Sometimes I'd catch a minnow and put it in, and within a day or two they would jump out.

Once as an experiment I made a little shelter out of Lego blocks, and they would always hide under it.


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## percidaeben (Jan 15, 2010)

FOSR said:


> I had a goldfish aquarium when I was a kid. Sometimes I'd catch a minnow and put it in, and within a day or two they would jump out.
> 
> Once as an experiment I made a little shelter out of Lego blocks, and they would always hide under it.


HaHa, that's pretty cool. My Dad and I always catch and keep a couple bluegill in our rain barrels to eat the mosqito larvae. If you don't put a screen over it,they will also jump out and try to escape.


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

Here's a strange thing: That was 40+ years ago. Once in a while I still have a nightmare where I still have that tank, and the fish are hungry and I haven't cleaned the filter in years - which is true. Strange how something like that can stick with you.


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## HappySnag (Dec 20, 2007)

FOSR said:


> Here's a strange thing: That was 40+ years ago. Once in a while I still have a nightmare where I still have that tank, and the fish are hungry and I haven't cleaned the filter in years - which is true. Strange how something like that can stick with you.


put big nice pictures on wall and spend more time fishing.if you fish whole day you clean fish,that is all what you wanet to do that day.


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