macdaddy36 Posted June 21 Share Posted June 21 I've got my stocking set for the foreseeable future so my 10 gallon QT tank is no longer needed, as I have a 2.5 Gallon in case I need emergency quarantine or something like that. Are there any Michigan natives I could keep in the tank for the summer? I was thinking fundulus (star head blackstripe or banded) or umbra as I've caught those before but I'm not sure if they would be too large. The NANFA forum talks about people keeping them in tanks as small as 5 gallons but I'm not really sure. I also have local access to dace and shiners but I'm not sure of the exact species. Maybe I could keep a native crayfish too Does anyone know have any experience with these species? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggaz Posted June 21 Share Posted June 21 Not sure but be careful. The Land of Freedom(TM) usually has strict laws about keeping native fish, with big fines and even prison time as consolation prizes. Results may vary from state to state, but definitely check. Imagine doing time for a bluegill. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted June 21 Share Posted June 21 On 6/21/2024 at 1:21 PM, daggaz said: Imagine doing time for a bluegill Well possibly. But nobody but me and the bluegill going to know🤣 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdaddy36 Posted June 21 Author Share Posted June 21 I’m not overly concerned about this as I’m not planning on keeping any protected species and the fish I listed are found in my backyard. I’ll definitely check with the Dnr before I decide, just looking for options for now 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdaddy36 Posted June 21 Author Share Posted June 21 Just did a bit of research, starhead topminnows are protected but luckily the rest seem to be fair game 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rube_Goldfish Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 I think @Fish Folk is our resident North American native fish expert, though not Michigan, to my memory. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggaz Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 On 6/21/2024 at 7:43 PM, macdaddy36 said: Just did a bit of research, starhead topminnows are protected but luckily the rest seem to be fair game Keep in mind it's not just about protected species. You need to check if there are regulations on keeping any native fish. Raising trout, for example, often requires a permit. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 (edited) On 6/21/2024 at 12:58 PM, macdaddy36 said: I've got my stocking set for the foreseeable future so my 10 gallon QT tank is no longer needed, as I have a 2.5 Gallon in case I need emergency quarantine or something like that. Are there any Michigan natives I could keep in the tank for the summer? I was thinking fundulus (star head blackstripe or banded) or umbra as I've caught those before but I'm not sure if they would be too large. The NANFA forum talks about people keeping them in tanks as small as 5 gallons but I'm not really sure. I also have local access to dace and shiners but I'm not sure of the exact species. Maybe I could keep a native crayfish too Does anyone know have any experience with these species? Well, I am not expert (notwithstanding @Rube_Goldfish kindly calling me out as such). Here are some tips: (1) You need to carefully obey the fish and game laws in your state. Be 100% sure that you're legal. (2) Never bring a fish home to a tank unless you know exactly what species it is, and have carefully studied it beforehand. (3) Bear in mind that many species will require a more expensive diet. Frozen bloodworms are typical. Other frozen foods are good -- Daphnia, etc. Just beware that the cost is higher than flake foods. (4) 10-gallons is a small volume of water. Be sure that you select legal species that can actually thrive in that volume of water. (5) NANF -- i.e. "North American Native Fish" -- should not ever require a heater. Some require cooler temperatures than normal. Many require extra dissolved oxygen. I build DIY Spray-bars [here's a great video link], add extra sponge filters and air stones. For my part, I do _not_ keep natives from our area due to State regulations. However, I _buy_ US Natives that are in the hobby trade as long as they are not blacklisted by my state. I do wish that I could keep and propagate natives from the creek near me. Just today, I was out micro-fishing with my kid, and he caught some HOT Rosyside Dace all colored up. Check these out: But to keep and propagate natives from my waterways, what I would need is an up to date Aquaculture License from the State. That's not terribly hard or expensive to come by, but it gets tedious. So . . . I buy fish from out of my area. Here's a smattering of species I have kept (all photos are from my own tanks) . . . Rainbow Shiners (Notropis chrosomus) Catawba Greenhead Shiners (Notropis chlorocephalus) Fireyblack Shiner (Cyprinella pyrrhomelas) Southern Redbelly Dace (Chrosomus erythrogaster) Mountain Redbelly Dace (Chrosomus oreas) Banded Sunfish (Enneacanthus obesus) Florida Flagfish (Jordanella floridae) Bluefin Killifish (Lucania goodei) Okefenokee Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma okefenokee) Gulf Coast Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma gilberti) Rainbow Darter (Etheotoma caeruleum) Banded Darter (Etheostoma zonale) Orangethroat Darter (Etheostoma spectabile) Lowland Shiners (Pteronotropis stonei) Tessellated Darter (Etheostoma olmstedi) I am pretty sure there's more . . . but I have now lost track. I recall watching a fascinating video from an aquarist in MI a while ago catching Sticklebacks and designing a tank for them. Beware! These are some of the meanest little fish on the planet. But his species-only setup was inspiring. (I am not sure exactly how LEGAL this was) Feel free to message me if you have followup questions. I'm less on the CARE Forum lately, but always happy to help if I can! Edited June 22 by Fish Folk 1 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggaz Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 (edited) Love that banded darter! Edited June 22 by daggaz 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 On 6/22/2024 at 5:21 AM, daggaz said: Love that banded darter! They darken up with black substrate, turn brighter green with plants, etc. Same fish here, yellow bands and green altered… 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggaz Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 He's perfectly tropical. That's in the US?? Are you in Florida? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted June 23 Share Posted June 23 On 6/22/2024 at 2:33 PM, daggaz said: He's perfectly tropical. That's in the US?? Are you in Florida? Actually very temperate (cool) water. I try to keep my AC down to 67-69°-F. The Banded Darters are found all over the midwest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdaddy36 Posted June 23 Author Share Posted June 23 No one has any fundulus info? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted June 23 Share Posted June 23 (edited) On 6/22/2024 at 8:37 PM, macdaddy36 said: No one has any fundulus info? I have several pairs of Fundulus dispar — Starhead Topminnows — arriving next week. These will be my first foray into Fundulus. Here’s what they look like… There is some information on Fundulus over at NANFA archived articles. Follow this link, then do a CMD+F — “find” search for “Fundulus.” There are several dozen articles to check out there. Check out this guy’s video (SW Michigan)… Edited June 23 by Fish Folk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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