I have been thinking about this for awhile...the natives really are undervalued within the hobby. I come across magazines every blue moon discussing a few natives. Not much is really said to really spark an interest in native fish keeping. Those of us who keep these fish know how responsive they are to us.
There is personality and fire in all of them. As some of us have found out that a blue gill will boss an entire tank regardless of what type of fish are present. The larger size of a another fish doesn't matter either to a blue gill. The tenacity of so many natives rivals many of the great cichlids,etc...
The colors can rival them too. My fish change colors at will from almost black on the dominant and challenger fish. When they are changing their minds, the electric blues, oranges, greens and stripes are always present.
The catfish are beautiful too. When they lack color, stripes, etc... they make it up in speed, agility, personality and they way they move. I consider my brown bullhead the favorite in the entire tank.
It moves like a shark sometimes by moving it's head and body from left to right while cruising through the tank. My brown bullhead is full of black on a white background with an olive colored head. I LOVE the way it looks. It puts uneaten food in different spots in the tank and will come back and eat later.
The Warmouth is like having a mini bass in it's stealth mode and strikes. The colors of the pumkinseeds, redbreast, etc... put you in awe. The crappies, bass. etc...will also make you love them too.
Cichlids and others are natives too. They simply come from another area.
North American natives are worthy of great discussion, creating the best environment and also worth studying too. Our Natives should be on large displays at public aquariums.
I mean large enough for you have seats in front of like the GA. Aquarium has for the whales, sharks, groupers and more. Put the right kind of decorations and you will see the true underwater behavior of these amazing fish. Especially if they have scheduled feedings for people to really see how fast these fish strike and act.
That's my $20.00 worth of comment and opinion.
There is personality and fire in all of them. As some of us have found out that a blue gill will boss an entire tank regardless of what type of fish are present. The larger size of a another fish doesn't matter either to a blue gill. The tenacity of so many natives rivals many of the great cichlids,etc...
The colors can rival them too. My fish change colors at will from almost black on the dominant and challenger fish. When they are changing their minds, the electric blues, oranges, greens and stripes are always present.
The catfish are beautiful too. When they lack color, stripes, etc... they make it up in speed, agility, personality and they way they move. I consider my brown bullhead the favorite in the entire tank.
It moves like a shark sometimes by moving it's head and body from left to right while cruising through the tank. My brown bullhead is full of black on a white background with an olive colored head. I LOVE the way it looks. It puts uneaten food in different spots in the tank and will come back and eat later.
The Warmouth is like having a mini bass in it's stealth mode and strikes. The colors of the pumkinseeds, redbreast, etc... put you in awe. The crappies, bass. etc...will also make you love them too.
Cichlids and others are natives too. They simply come from another area.
North American natives are worthy of great discussion, creating the best environment and also worth studying too. Our Natives should be on large displays at public aquariums.
I mean large enough for you have seats in front of like the GA. Aquarium has for the whales, sharks, groupers and more. Put the right kind of decorations and you will see the true underwater behavior of these amazing fish. Especially if they have scheduled feedings for people to really see how fast these fish strike and act.
That's my $20.00 worth of comment and opinion.
Well stated, and true every word. It is up to us all to educate, to the extent of our knowledge, Non-Native fishkeepers, as to the value you mentioned. Not everyone will want to take advantage of this wonderful resource as the exotic, always has more allure, but if they choose to ignore Native fish, They are definitely missing the boat.
