anyone ever kept native fish

[mtnmonster]

I was thinking about getting a large tank and I've been toying around with putting some fish native to my area in it. Anyone ever keep anything like bluegill or other sunfish? Not sure of the legality yet in my state but I'm looking into it.

[Ragnarok12]

You should take a look on the NANFA (North American Native Fish Association) website. There is a treasure trove of information on there on native fishkeeping, especially on the forum. You will also be able to find links to understand the legality and permits required for taking native fish depending on the state you are collecting in. It seems like a lot of people take care of bluegills and sunfish. I'm thinking of trying to get into pygmy sunfish myself.

[lefty o]

years ago i kept sunfish, bluegills,punkinseeds,  small mouth bass, large mouth bass, lake sturgeon, river sturgeon, florida gar, long nose gar, and im sure there were a few others.  my advice would be to stick to the pan fish with a decently large tank. the bass and bigger fish are just too big unless you have a swimming pool.

[Biotope Biologist]

I've kept sunfish and minnow I didn't have the heart to kill from fish shipments. The sunfish took a while to ween onto fish food. Until then I fed them fry and insects. The minnow took right away but they don't live very long. Mine was already full grown and lived 2 years under my care. 

 

Each state has different collecting laws so I'd suggest looking into it. Washington state for example is extremely strict on most anything and requires permits.