natives for a 10 gallon aquarium

[WattaMelon]

There are no swamp darters, pygmy sunfish, or small sunfish in Iowa.

You're right about the pygmy sunfish Noto. I should of read more carefully about OP wanting to collect his stock, and not purchase.

Orange spots are native to Iowa, and get around 3 inches max. I'd call this small enough for a ten gallon.

More native fish that would work well in a ten gallon:
http://www.iowadnr.gov/fish/iafish/bak-card.html
http://www.iowadnr.gov/fish/iafish/blt-card.html
http://www.iowadnr.gov/fish/iafish/bsb-card.html
http://www.iowadnr.gov/fish/iafish/sls-card.html
http://www.iowadnr.gov/fish/iafish/mts-card.html

 

[WattaMelon]

would redhorses work in a 10? theres a dam i go to and fish and when i dipnet out some small bullhead i get some every now and then. along with some other unidentified shiners and minnows. last year i caught a channel catfish that was 1/4" long!!! i put in a 10 gallon growout by itself but it smal into the large pea gravel and got stuck and died their i wish the little guy lived

Redhorses get big too, a foot+.

 

[gar man]

well the last 2 that you posted are on the other side of the state but i think ill be able to get the others around here. thanks for the fish list

 

[Umbra]

Mudminnows. Awesome fish, get about 4-5 inches and are sedentary ambush predators. Plant the tank heavily with cabomba or elodea, maybe some duckweed on the surface. Throw in some small guppies and watch the action

 

[gar man]

wow i didnt know that mud minnows got that big lol thats a big minnow imm have to get some of them!

 

[sandtiger]

wow i didnt know that mud minnows got that big lol thats a big minnow imm have to get some of them!

Technically they aren't a minnow, they belong to the Umbridae family within the order Esociformes making them more closely related to pike, pickerel and muskallunge than anything else. Its easy to see a resemblance.

 

[Louie]

There are no swamp darters, pygmy sunfish, or small sunfish in Iowa.

Okay thanks

 

[gar man]

i guess that i learn new things all the time

 

[MN_Rebel]

Do you have fishing license yet, gar boy?

 

[JIM]

I would prefer Darters for a setup that size, research whats available in your area, and the natural habitat they live in, then recreate that exact thing in your tank. Darters are small will stay that way for life, and are unequaled in personality.