i absolutely love smallmouth bass. they are aggressive, mean, and fun to keep. Again, they do grow somewhat slowy, that is more slowly than a largemouth bass. In my opinion they are the coolest cold water fish to keep in an aquarium, but make sure you have LOTS of space as they move around a lot. if you keep them in a small tank, they will become even more aggressive, leaving the potential for them to smash against the glass and injure or kill themselves