Ya know...it's one thing to read about experienced, hard-core fishkeepers like
duanes
or many others on here, who have kept a wide variety of species...usually within their "specialty" area, like cichlids, rare livebearers, rays, etc...and who are now scouring the continent or the globe for that one special type of fish that has become their current quest. They've done it all, or at least a good chunk of it, and they are seeking that next new challenge. The fish in question might not even be particularly appealing to newer aquarists, might have nothing in the way of spectacular colouration or behaviour, but it is their Holy Grail...until they find it, keep it, breed it, and then move on to the next quest. They are breathing that rarified air at the peak of the hobby mountain, and chasing one exotic/rare/difficult fish after another is a common phase at that point.
And then,
The Masked Shadow
...there's guys like you. You have kept tons of fish...on lists and in plans...but actual experience is virtually non-existent. You really don't need to research obscure and little-known fish like Shadow Bass, because there are almost always common, dirt-cheap and readily available counterparts like Rock Bass that you would be much better off keeping and gaining some experience with before you special-order the oddballs. Don't worry about the supposed 17-inch Rock Bass you have read about...I have fished for and caught Rock Bass for well over 50 years and have never, ever seen one more than a foot long. Trust me, you won't raise the new world record Rock Bass in your aquarium. You will, however, find that Rock Bass are every bit as interesting and fun to keep as Shadow Bass and if/when you make the type of inevitable blunder that we all occasionally make, you won't end up killing a rare fish.
And maybe try to settle for fewer fish species? A 50-ish-gallon tank is nowhere to be combining predators like Shadow/Rock or other bass with darters and sculpins, which are essentially bait. Decide what you want to keep; if you want small darters, keep them, give them proper conditions, enjoy them, and then sometime in the future when they no longer turn your crank, move on to something else, whether it be bass, sculpins, whatever. You
do not need to keep every species of fish that you find on the internet...and you
absolutely do need to accept that they can't all be kept together. I know they are all tempting, but you just can't do any of them justice if you over-extend yourself and over-do it. Healthy fish displaying natural colouration and behaviour are interesting; sickly, stressed fish that are constantly fighting, eating each other, dying...or all of these at the same time!...will quickly kill your interest in the hobby.
So, maybe try stepping back for a moment, take a deep breath, decide what you are most interested in, and concentrate on that for awhile.
And, while you're at it...consider taking a break from telling other people how to keep fish about which you really don't know much other than what you read on the internet. Remember: some of what you "know" from the internet has come from other people who, like yourself, have no clue but feel that everyone is entitled to hear what they have to say. Your sage advice regarding discus in the other thread is the sort of thing to which I am referring. Discus? Really? ?
thebiggerthebetter
to take the catfish after they outgrew his stuff
he said "i'd be honored if Thebiggerthebetter took them to his aquarium" and he said he'd have to be crazy to take them from him 
