Lamprey questions and tank set up questions.

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BuildingBlocks

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 16, 2011
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Nj, flanders
Okay. Today I went to a creek near my friends house(We live in nj). Well the creek is clear and the flow is more relaxed. Not like a stream that the current can push you. But yeah.

Anywho... The creek is mostly sandy with bits of gravel and lots of rockwork. I found him under some pile of rocks and it looks kinda like this.

http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/fish/other/lamprey/so/

I know the tail is black. Like on the way back. The part where the tail fin is... I'm not sure what kind of lamprey it is... And I'm wondering if I could keep it as a pet? Along with some daces and other minnows from the creek and possibly darters? In a 55g.
 
I always thought lamprey fed on fish. Maybe im wrong but its just something i wouldnt try. not to mention it would be an ugly aquarium having a fish swimming around with a lamprey on it. Could the fish you saw maybe have been an eel?
 
There are two lampreys native to New Jersey, the american brook lamprey (lampetra appendix) and the sea lamprey (petromyzon marinus). The american eel (anguilla rostrata) is also native to New Jersey. By looking at the mouth of the fish, it is easy to differentiate between a lamprey and an eel. The lamprey will have the large sucker on the end of the mouth. I have no idea how the fish will do in an aquarium.
 
Actually there is two different types of lampreys. One is parastic and another is non-parastic. Brook lamprey is non-parastic means they do not feed on fish. Sea Lamprey is parasitic which they will feeding on fish. Bad news for you: adult lamprey do not live long.
 
Lampreys are great if you like looking at an empty aquarium. :D

I had a couple American brook lampreys for a few weeks a few summers ago. They did pretty well on a diet of filter gunk & crushed pellets; they feed on detritus, organic matter, and microscopic organisms as juveniles & don't feed as adults. I kept them in a ten gallon with a few inches of sand for the substrate and a modest amount of current.
 
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