Native fish for 55g?

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Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 16, 2011
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Nj, flanders
Do you guys know what are some good native fish to keep in a 55g? I have another 55g running that was given to me a month ago. It's got no ornaments yet cause I wanna know what ima get.

The normal tank temp is 68degrees to 70degrees on its own. My room gets the coldest though... And I could buy a chiller if I really need to.

But what's the best temp to keep the fish at that will make them somewhat active? But wont hurt them and will be good for them? I like perch. i hear they only grow up to 8inch over here in nj.

I'ved seen daces and darters but are all hard to catch. :/ I hate using minnow traps for various reasons. So I ussually fish with hook.

I was wondering what are good species to look at? I know some are going to mention sunnies. But I'm not much a fan of them to be honest. I do like bass and I know they're sunnies. But they look slightly different to me than sunnies do.

I like stuff like perch, catfish, daces, darters, gudgeons, and etc. I like pike, and muskies but I doubt I can keep those. I like crappie.


Any ideas? and where to get them from a healthy viable source?
 
A standard 55 is a little narrow to keep perch, crappie, or bullheads in; I suggest you stick to smaller fish. Dace and other minnows, darters, killifishes, and madtoms all would do well in your tank and are easy to catch with a seine. You can also order various species from BT Darters or Sachs Aquaculture. Be sure to check local regulations first.

There are also lots of brackish species in your area that would do well in that tank, including various gobies, blennies, killifish, pinfish, flatfish, etc. Brackish tanks are pretty easy to maintain- just like a freshwater tank, really, except for the salt.

Most NA native fish do fine at a wide range of temperatures, just as they experience in the wild. Anything between about 40 and 80 F is OK for most species, and 68-70 F is ideal for almost all. There are some coldwater specialists, like trout and salmon, but they are the exceptions. Water hardness, pH, and so on are not critical for most species, as long as they are reasonably stable. Aeration is very important for stream species.
 
Leave out the pygmies and you should be all right. Pygmy sunfish do best in a single-species tank, or at most with a few very small peaceful tankmates like guppies or Heterandria, with a ton of vegetation and very little current. In a community tank they are likely to starve or be beat up or eaten.

Madtoms- make sure you provide plenty of hiding places (caves, driftwood, etc.) or they will fight over spots. I haven't kept those particular species, but they should be OK as long as they are similar in size to the other fish in the tank.

Topminnows- adults can be very aggressive towards each other. If you can get juveniles and let them grow up together, they might be less inclined to fight as they get older. Keeping the tank covered is a must with topminnows, they will jump.

Dace- these guys are ideal native community tank inhabitants.

Flagfish- I've only ever had one flagfish and he was very peaceful. I've heard that some are aggressive. It's probably a good idea to have a second tank ready if they don't work out in the community tank. They don't like current much.

Darters- get several, it's more fun. The only problem with darters is that they are not as food-aggressive as other fish. What I've done in community tanks is distract the minnows and killis with flakes at one end, then squirt some bloodworms at the other end near the bottom with a turkey baster. The darters and madtoms will soon learn to come to the baster.
 
Re: darters - I've found they needs lots of oxygen. Water temp isn't as important, but good aeration is a much. Some people don't like the look of air stone/bubbles in their tanks, so I'd take that into consideration. Otherwise, they are awesome! Definetly have more than one. As far as feeding mine went, I fed them Hikari Micro Pellets and I did something similar to Noto. Everyone else would be fed opposite the darters, and the pellets would be put into the water in my HOB filter to get dispersed underneath the surface. They are not necessarily bottom feeders only, all of mine would come at least half way up the water column to feed, and I had several that would eat off the surface. But they are not competive as Noto mentioned.

Noto is also right about Dace. I haven't kept the kind you want, but I have kept Blacknose Dace. They are one of my favorite minnows, and definitely fun to watch. After awhile, they got so used to water changes that they'd come nibble at my arm while I was suctioning the gravel. LOL
 
AutumnEffect said:
Re: darters - I've found they needs lots of oxygen. Water temp isn't as important, but good aeration is a much. Some people don't like the look of air stone/bubbles in their tanks, so I'd take that into consideration. Otherwise, they are awesome! Definetly have more than one. As far as feeding mine went, I fed them Hikari Micro Pellets and I did something similar to Noto. Everyone else would be fed opposite the darters, and the pellets would be put into the water in my HOB filter to get dispersed underneath the surface. They are not necessarily bottom feeders only, all of mine would come at least half way up the water column to feed, and I had several that would eat off the surface. But they are not competive as Noto mentioned.

Noto is also right about Dace. I haven't kept the kind you want, but I have kept Blacknose Dace. They are one of my favorite minnows, and definitely fun to watch. After awhile, they got so used to water changes that they'd come nibble at my arm while I was suctioning the gravel. LOL
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Yeah, darters are benthic as most of the darter spp. lack a gas bladder, thats why they stay on the bottom most of the time and dont move up the water column.
 
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