New to Native Fish Keeping

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ImpactFishing

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 3, 2013
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Northern Illinois
Hello everyone,

I have decided to get my own native fish aquarium. I am an avid fisherman and I currently live in Northern Illinois, so I am wanting to fill my tank with species that are native to my area. I have some previous knowledge of keeping fish, but nothing too in depth (My dad has a 15 gallon tank with teslas).

I have lots of questions and I hope they can be answered. Thanks in advance!

1. I am planning on getting either a 75 or 90 gallon tank to keep fish in, any ideas on which one to get? They're both the same length, but I believe the 90 gallon is taller.

2. How many fish can I fit in a 90 gallon? I was planning on starting with Yellow Perch and Black Crappie. 3 Perch and 2 Black Crappie. Is that too many fish in one tank?

3. What is a quarantine tank and do I need one?

4. My house is always kept year-round at a 68-74 degree temperature, will I need a chiller or fan to keep my tank's water temperature down? Do crappies and yellow perch need colder water?

5. This question is more general. What are the necessities for keeping native fish or any fish at all? I know I need a good filter, bubbler, light system, and a laser temp reader. Is there anything else I am missing?

6. Would it be better to keep my tank at the 1st floor in my house or 2nd floor in my house. (Thinking first floor)

I know that these are a lot of questions, but I am really hoping someone can answer these. I plan on setting up my tank this winter, and adding fish in the spring. So I have some time to research more. I am looking forward to all the responses. Thanks!
 
1. 90 has more volume and is incrementally better but footprint is what counts.
2. Crappie get too big for your 90 gallon. You're better off getting a small group of sunfish. Even then, a 4ft tank will only hold a breeding pair due to aggression. If you want multiple species, stick different body shapes and no that all fish in the Sunfish Family (sunfish, bluegills, warmouth, bass, crappie) are territorial. If you do decide on a 90 gallon, stick to sunfish that max out at 8 inches or less and stick to a small group and let them pair naturally.
3. always a good idea to have a quarantine tank.
4. Perch need cooler water but should be ok at room temp as long as it doesn't go into the 80's.
5. As long as you have good filtration and do water changes regularly, you're good to go. They are mostly hardy if you stick to sunfish species. Most are adapable as well.
6. Depends on your floor layout. Which way are your joist running? Make sure your tank is positioned perpendicular to the direction of your joist. Look for a supporting wall to put the tank against. Know that a 90 gallon ways a LOT.

Final piece of advice, if you do decide to move forward with your 90 gallon, stick to something like a longear sunfish or a redbreast sunfish. They are beautiful and they stay manageable in size. Be prepared to start them off on live food and slowly wean them onto pellets. Always be sure to check your local laws and know that nothing is better husbandry than regular water changes.

Good luck!
 
I agree with mrrobxc on the 90g and that crappie are too big for it; A quarantine tank is used to find and treat fish for parasites and diseases before they are introduced to the main tank, and it is highly recommended. Most Natives actually do better when they have temp fluctuations that have to do with seasons, so 60-to even 78 dg. is good for most fish. In a 90g I would not recommend Redbreast sunnies because of their aggression, but I agree with Longears and even Spotted, Dollar and Northern sunfish would be fine as well as a couple of Yellow Perch. Structure will also help keep aggression to a minimum in your tank, keep us posted on how its going.
 
Thanks for the information so far guys! Keep it up!

As for filters and such, can someone recommend a good filter and bubbler for a 90 gallon tank? There are so many out there it can get confusing.
 
You don't necessarily need a bubbler. The water will be oxygenated well enough if there is good agitation on the surface. As far as filter goes, I would recommend a canister filter. You're going to want to get as big of one as you can afford. Look for something that will pump at least 5 times as many gallons per hour as your tank size is. I would personally recommend something that pumps more than 600 gph. Fluval FX5 or FX6 would be ideal. You can look them up on Amazon. Or if you need to go cheaper look at the filters on Aquatrader.
I'm from Southern IL and we have some amazing longears in our state. You can check out my 75 gallon longear tank on my YouTube channel day5fishtanks. I keep mine in an unheated tank in my office at work which stays low 70's year round.
You will want plenty of structure to break up line of sight. The more structure you have the less aggression you'll have to deal with and the happier your fish will be.
I have all my fish pellet trained which helps with the bio load on my filters. I trained them by withholding food for a couple of days and then soaking the pellets in tank water for about 20 minutes to soften them up before putting them in.
Hikari Cichlid Gold is a good food to start off with.
Anyways, hope this helps some.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
MonsterHunterMN said:
I think you could keep a crappie or two just make sure they are small to start out with, like 2-3 inches.
Click to expand...

I agree, if they start small and their feeding is kept at modest levels they will not reach the same size that they would get in the wild.

I've never kept a white crappie, but rumor has it they stunt in the wild easier than black crappies do. I suspect the same would hold true in a home aquarium.
 
I was planning on buying my fish from smith creek fish farm. They have choices of black crappie and yellow perch in the 2"-3" range.

Has anyone had any past experiences with buying from them?
 
AMcCaleb said:
You don't necessarily need a bubbler. The water will be oxygenated well enough if there is good agitation on the surface. As far as filter goes, I would recommend a canister filter. You're going to want to get as big of one as you can afford. Look for something that will pump at least 5 times as many gallons per hour as your tank size is. I would personally recommend something that pumps more than 600 gph. Fluval FX5 or FX6 would be ideal. You can look them up on Amazon. Or if you need to go cheaper look at the filters on Aquatrader.
I'm from Southern IL and we have some amazing longears in our state. You can check out my 75 gallon longear tank on my YouTube channel day5fishtanks. I keep mine in an unheated tank in my office at work which stays low 70's year round.
You will want plenty of structure to break up line of sight. The more structure you have the less aggression you'll have to deal with and the happier your fish will be.
I have all my fish pellet trained which helps with the bio load on my filters. I trained them by withholding food for a couple of days and then soaking the pellets in tank water for about 20 minutes to soften them up before putting them in.
Hikari Cichlid Gold is a good food to start off with.
Anyways, hope this helps some.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Click to expand...

I have seen some videos on the fluval fx5, people say that the output creates a current in the tank. Would that be a problem for my tank? Or is a little current good?

I saw one guy angle his output up so that the current wasn't too strong. Maybe that works, but I'll have to see if I get a fx5.
 
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