Fish Folk

Do you spawn them in seasons? We've never kept big goldies outside. My favorite is just the simple fantail. If I could unlock breeding them, I'd probably be in trouble . . .

I'll not derail this thread. But if you post anything on breeding Rams, I'll be sure to followup.

Foo the Flowerhorn did it with Amano Shrimp and Sparkling Gourami...

I suspect you'll need a screen of sorts to award off predators as well. If I were doing this, I'd cut a large piece of screen. Check out this option: I'd probably try to DIY a solid ring around the outside to attach the screen to. Non-plumbing, furniture-grade adjustable joints could be glued to pieces of PVC to create an 8 (or more) sided shape to fit over top of your pool... But this is all very expensive. Maybe a roll of chickenwire with twisty wire to connect pieces would be cheaper and suffice to keep Herons and Racoons out. Once they discover your Kiddie pool, your fish are gone. Absolutely GONE.

Looking great! What sources are you preferring for your tannins?

I like this article by ACO. Hydra always show up when I'm feeding newly hatched live baby brine shrimp a low to fry. In other news . . . "Breeding Rams since 1972" . . . woah! Rams as in Mikrogeophagus ramirezi? I'd love a loooooong chat over coffee to talk about your experiences.

@drewzero1 Game laws in every state are a headache to follow, but need to be respected. For my part, I just call up my state DNR on the phone and ask about what I want to do. Sometimes they complain . . . telling me it's in the published regs / guides / etc . . . but I always ask them for help so that I do not miss anything. Wisconsin is famous as a NANFA center. If you're not already a member, consider joining and finding fellow enthusiasts in your state. I wonder if someone with a bait license could collect and sell certain species in Wisconsin. For my part, as much as I love the thought of grabbing wild fish form the creek behind my house, and setting up a "mountain Maryland biotope," I've settled on preferring the agency of an experienced specialist who sells NANF species full time to hobbyists. Though he cannot possibly get me everything, he can advise me on a lot and really helps steer my enthusiasm in helpful directions. We are also very fortunate to be part of an amazing Fish Club, PVAS. It's populated by the guys who lead regular trips with Project Amazonas down to Peru; boasts a former NANFA president . . . some professional breeders . . . a Goodeid Specialist . . . Killifish experts . . . and many, many people who have forgotten more about fish keeping than I'll ever learn. Believe me when I say that at Fish Club meetings, I am an absolute nobody over in the corner soaking it all in!

She looks fine to me. A video would be more helpful though. Sounds like you know your Rams well, and are tuned into them enough to respond when they spawn. We’ve been breeding Rams awhile now. I like the way they work in tanks with “bigger issues” than one another (i.e. where they’re not dominant)…

Here we go ya NERMS! Gonna wrap up this first pass over native miniature fish from all 50 US States, reasonably suitable to home aquaria. Again, not all are free to just catch and take home. And there are a number of cautions to anyone thinking about this: remember that wild stuff is . . . wild. Diseases and pathogens are easily brought in from the wild, so proceed with an abundance of care if you're wanting to start up a NANF tank. But here we go, the last nine US States in alphabetical order... Tennessee - Rainbow Shiner (Notropis chrosomus) avg. 2 inches. Quickly becoming the most popular NANF in the hobby. These are mine colored up spawning. Here's two videos [1, 2] taken today of my Rainbow Shiner fry. Texas - Rio Grande Cichlid [Texas cichlid] (Herichthys cyanoguttatus) 4.5-12 inches. Well if you know tank busters, you saw this one coming! Utah - Least Chub (Iotichthys phlegethontis) 1-2 inches. Found only in Utah. Schooling species. < websites accessed 04-22-2022 > Article 1 | Article 2 | Article 3 || Video 1 | Video 2 Vermont - Eastern Sand Darter (Ammocrypta pelllucida) avg. 2.9 inches. As name suggests, likes sand! Virginia - Saffron Shiner (Notropis rubricroceus) avg. 2 inches. I am going to say... in breeding dress, this is my personal favorite NANF fish. I am planning on starting up a 29 gallon aquarium in a few months with the intention to breed these. Washington - Olympic mudminnow (Novumbra hubbsi) avg. 2.1 inches. Washington's only known endemic freshwater fish species. West Virginia - Candy Darter (Etheostoma osburni) avg. 2.8 inches. Endangered species. Very iconic! Wisconsin - Tadpole madtom (Noturus gyrinus) avg. 2 inches. Yay! A tiny US native catfish for home aquaria. Wyoming - Pearl Dace (Margariscus margarita) avg. 3.6 inches. Listed as endangered in Wyoming, but found elsewhere in US.

Here's a peek at one of my Banded Darters getting acquainted with his new Spawning mop...

The unwatched pot boils! Lots of golden fun in this Snakeskin Guppy colony. Hoping to throw select ones outdoors for the summer…

Woah! More, more, more… SRBDs anyone??!

(Continued!) South Dakota - Common Logperch (Percina caprodes) avg. 5 inches. Large member of the Darter family.

(Continued!) South Carolina - Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) 2-3 inches. These look like “wild guppies” in tiny drainage ditches, but beware! These little livebearers are fierce, nasty natives in a home aquarium. We brought back some females from a Carolina family vacation years ago… My little guy loved keeping them on his dresser in his room…

(Continued!) You think you’ve seen it all? Think again… Rhode Island - Hogchoker (Trinectes maculatus) avg. 4.5 inches. This brackish flatfish - like a Flounder - is amazingly unique. And yes, people keep them in home aquaria.

(Continuing!) Pennsylvania - Banded darter (Etheostoma zonale) avg. 2.5 inches. I’m a very proud keeper of these natives from my home-state. Here’s my main male coloring up this spring… And here’s a look at the wild 20 gal they’re in right now in my fishroom…

I'll add . . . for a wild array of US Native possibilities from all 50 states, I've been working on this . . . As an inspiring example, here's a young guy in Michigan who makes beautifully edited videos, who just went out and built this tank set up from random stuff he found around where he lives in Michigan. I couldn't stop watching...

I’m setting up a 29 gal in the next month with Saffron Shiners… And Banded Darters… But you’ll never regret Rainbow Shiners…

@OnlyGenusCaps oh yeah! Definitely could line breed color into the Sheepshead… My Flaggies were beautiful, but the male decided to spawn, and then beat up on everyone else…

I think most NANF can work in a reasonably wide temperature scope, from 60°-80°-F. Now, as for BREEDING, there are particularly stringent changes they depend on to “trigger” new seasons. Most are more attuned to light & photoperiod. I lower and shorten light during winter, then reopen it to signal spring. With temperature, one key: the cooler water is, the more gasses it can absorb (esp. oxygen). Warm water holds less and less gasses. SO, I always run extra air into tanks kept warmer than species-specific recommend parameters. As for that Gilt Darter… I think you’ll need to consult DNR regulations per state. Ohio may not permit its collection in the wild. I’ll ask sone NANFA guys about that though. Orange is a great color for a planted / dark tank!!

Well, I am not under any delusions that this is a winner here. But I am pleased with these…

[Special notice: Due to the large volume of photos and probability of future corrections, please call out / respond with @Name rather than using the “Quote” function. Thanks!] Time for the "O" states. Again, broadly separated regions of the country, these natives are found in small creeks, pools, pond edges, etc. Great beauty is so often hidden right under our noses... Ohio - Gilt Darter (Percina evades) 2.5-3.5 inches. Listed as Federally endangered in many locales. Oklahoma - Blackstripe topminnow (Fundulus notatus) avg. 2.5 inches. Common in the aquarium hobby. Oregon - Redside shiner (Richardsonius balteatus) avg. 2.5 inches. Note: Oregon regulations are very strict.

@OnlyGenusCaps I just put together your handle with capitalization of 1st binomial 😂 Boy… I’m slow… I shall hunt down the solo offense, and make it right! I really wondered about that photo. Thanks so much for the correction. I am blown away by the beauty of native Pupfish. The only one I have kept is the common Jordanella floridae…

@Baphijmm I kept seeing the baseball team pop up as I was looking online. That's amazing! It makes me appreciate these places so much. There is an unbelievable amount of freshwater miniature fish biodiversity here in the USA... but in truth, all over the planet. There must be an unnumbered amount of fish we've never imagined or heard of.

[Special notice: Due to the large volume of photos and probability of future corrections, please call out / respond with @Name rather than using the "Quote" function. Thanks!] There are eight "N" states, thanks to "New" and "North." Are there really unique native freshwater (or brackish) fish to be found in each one? Let's see! Nebraska - Plains Topminnow (Fundulus sciadicus) avg. 2 inches. Lovely for home aquarium. Colors vary. < websites accessed 04-29-2022 > Article 1 | Article 2 | Article 3 || Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3 ________________________________________________________ Nevada - Devil's Hole Pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolos) avg. 1 inch. Critically endangered. Fascinating study. < websites accessed 04-29-2022 > Article 1 | Article 2 | Article 3 | Article 4 || Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3 | Video 4 ________________________________________________________ New Hampshire - Swamp Darter (Etheostoma fusiforme) avg. 1.5 inches. NH smallest freshwater species. [Note: there is some questions whether these are original natives, or non-native settlers to NH. Established native ranges are in south / south eastern US] < websites accessed 06-14-2022 > Article 1 | Article 2 | Article 3 || Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3 > Early in 2022, I walked into my LFS, and a staff member urged me back to see a strange fish they'd gotten in with a shipment from a FL fish farm. "What is this? Some sort of goby?" he asked. "That's a Darter!" I replied. "You want him?" he asked, "We can't sell these." Of course I said yes. Turns out it was a young Swamp Darter. Here's a photo from my aquarium at home... New Jersey - Banded Sunfish (Enneacanthus obsesus) avg. 2.5 inches. I have two of these in my tank now! < websites accessed 06-14-2022 > Article 1 | Article 2 | Article 3 | Article 4 || Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3 > For a close look ay two E. obesus I've been keeping in my aquarium with N. chrosomus and E. caeruleum, here's a video... New Mexico - White Sands Pupfish (Cyprinodon tularosa) avg. 1.5-2 inches. Threatened species. Lives only in three small desert oases in the state. < websites accessed 06-14-2022 > Article 1 | Article 2 | Article 3 || [No Videos Found] > New York - Variegate Darter (Etheostoma variatum) 2.5-4 inches. Found in southwest NY, Ohio River drainage. < websites accessed 06-14-2022 > Article 1 | Article 2 | Article 3 || Video 1 | Video 2 > North Carolina - Fieryblack Shiner (Cyprinella pyrrhomelas) ca. 3 inches. Intensely beautiful when spawning. North Dakota - Brook Stickleback (Culaea inconstans) avg. 2 inches. Watch this to appreciate them in a tank.