I want to do a native brackish tank. any recommendations on native louisiana fish for a 30 gallon?
lousiana native tank
- Thread starter blackghostknife
- Start date
Lotsa great small brackish fish near the coast. Pontchartrain is a goldmine for naked gobies, pipe fish, killifish, baby game fish, etc.
I think you have diamond killies (Adinia xenica) down there. Gorgeous little fish. The wild sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinnis) are also very nice, much more attractive than petstore mollies in my opinion. Just do some netting and see what you find. You should be able to find topminnows, seahorses, pipefish, flatfish, blennies, gobies, sleepers, silversides, pinfish, and many types of inverts. I have not been in your area, but netting in the Carolinas I found that jetties and seagrass beds were most productive. Salt marshes and boat ramps had some species I didn't see elsewhere. Wading in still waters at night with a bright light is a great way to spot fish. Just be careful what you step on!
I don't like killies and mollies and was hoping for small gobies. thanks for the advice brackishdude 
now when you say netting do you mean like a dip net or cast net?
now when you say netting do you mean like a dip net or cast net?
I am hoping to find small gobies, guppies, flatfish and crabs of small varieties which I checked in a field guide and we have them all in that lake. but I need advice on feeding and what not, also when you say netting do you mean dip or cast?
I would use a dip net. Cast nets are good for fish over open bottoms, especially if schooling, but most of what you want will be hiding in and around structure- rocks, shells, seaweed, plants, driftwood, etc.- or under the sand. A sturdy dipnet will get you a lot more diversity. Most of the small fish will happily eat live or f/t inverts like BBS, mysis, bloodworms, etc.; pipefish and seahorses have more specialized needs and probably shouldn't be kept in a general community tank.
You won't find guppies, but you are likely to catch mosquitofish, which look very similar. However, they are much more aggressive than guppies. I don't recommend them for community tanks. Rainwater killies also look guppy-like but are peaceful. Also be careful with crabs; hermits are probably OK but true crabs can be dangerous to fish, even when similar in size. Crabs are also vulnerable to fish when they molt.
You won't find guppies, but you are likely to catch mosquitofish, which look very similar. However, they are much more aggressive than guppies. I don't recommend them for community tanks. Rainwater killies also look guppy-like but are peaceful. Also be careful with crabs; hermits are probably OK but true crabs can be dangerous to fish, even when similar in size. Crabs are also vulnerable to fish when they molt.
um I was refering to mosquito fish when I said guppies. I heard that naked gobies eat most prepaired foods, is that true?