native tank stocking help

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jworth

jworth

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Sep 9, 2008
3,287
3
36
Indianapolis
You guys seem pretty native knowledgable so help me out because im no expert. getting out of tropicals and only keeping what i can catch (aka FREE) im keeping my 2 florida gars

i would like

1 crappie
1 sunfish/bluegill (not good at differentiating species)
1 LMB that I will release in a private pond when its too big.
1 catfish (i think i might keep a tropical cat)

probably keep the tank at 75 or so.... what do you think?
 
btw tank is standard 125

also would like to know how hard it is to get these to eat thawed silversides or pellets
 
Will the gar be in this tank too?

I suggest you avoid bass. They are rambunctious and can injure or stress out tankmates, even those too big to be eaten. Crappie have the opposite problem- they are a bit timid, and may not fare well with other more aggressive species.

Sunfish are your best bet. Rocky rivers and creeks are good places to find some of the more attractive sunfish, such as longears and rock bass. Smaller suckers such as hogsuckers or chubsuckers would also be nice additions, as would large minnows such as creek chub, river chub, or golden shiners. Just be sure they are big (6" plus) when they go in and they should survive.

I have found that sunfish take pellets and frozen foods readily. Minnows are very visually oriented and will attack anything they see drifting through or on the water. Suckers prefer to feed off the bottom, so sinking pellets or wafers will work for them.
 
the gars will indeed be in this tank. i like golden shiners however i do not have any around me that i am aware of. i have easy access to crappie, bass and sunfish. white river is my closest river and its filthy. i think i am pretty limited with my location. thoughts?
 
Golden shiners are everywhere. Any still, weedy water should have some. They are also the common baitstore shiner, though you should be cautious with baitstore fish and quarantine them extra long.

Have you been over to the NANFA forum? There are a lot of midwesterners there who will be able to give you more specific info on where to collect different species in Indiana.

As far as polluted waterways, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just quarantine everything, whether it comes from a clean or a nasty body of water.
 
ill look into nanfa. to be brutally honest with you... i have never quarantined a single fish and dont plan to. i dont have the tanks, time, or patience. I dont want to fart with juvi's either. I just want a stocked tank with nice looking adults.
 
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