indiana native fish

[ryan]

i've been thinking about setting up a low budget native fish tank. somewhere in the 30-40 gallon range with one or two med. sized fish and a school of smaller ones. however im really not sure what fish i would use. bluegill are easy enough, but im still looking for other ideas. are there sunfish in indiana?

ryan

 

[pinballqueen]

the best place to look for that information would be with your local fish and game commission, or ask a game warden. They'll also be able to give you a list of endangered species, which species are legal/illegal to collect, whether netting is allowed in your local lakes, etc.

It's not much, I know, but a starting point, at least. I live in TN, and the local game commission website gave me a list of common and uncommon species of wildlife, as well as hunting/fishing seasons, etc.

You might also check out your nearest fish hatchery; you might not have to catch the little buggers yourself after all....a lot of hatcheries will sell you fingerling bass, catfish, etc. (I used to live near someone who bought hatchery fish and raised them in an outdoor pool for food use. Great idea...wish I had the space...)

Here's a site to get you started...http://www.in.gov/nrc/wildlife/

it doesn't have too much, but it's a good jumping-off point. Go to google.com and search native fishkeeping....Just a suggestion.

Good luck and happy hunting!

 

[val]

Although I just complained about Aquarium Fish Magazine in a different post, the Jan or Feb 2003 issue has a neat article about north american coldwater species and how you might want to go about getting a tank started.

Another place to start would be the curator at a local aquarium. I'm personally trying to see every aquarium in the country, but I can't think of any in Indiana. You could try the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago or there is a nice one in Nashville. Most aquariums are trying to do local habitats as part of their community education.

Val

 

[ryan]

thanks all, that should get me started