Carol Jackson wrote:
> Uh becky the fish you are keeping will be about 1 foot long and if
> your bluegill breed they will have to use the all the sandy side
> making your other fish crowded on one side also those fish eat ALOT.
> If I were you I would try to soften the water and throw in some
> salt(ask your local pet store for salt) When your fish start to breed
> just throw them back in a lake or stream
>
> If I where you I would dump your fish and start over because unless
> you cycled(puting in a single fish and let sit for 3-4 months) Or
> used lake water your fish will suffer also those fish need 100s of
> gallons of swiming room or will stunt(when fish are in a small body
> of water or overcrowded they stay small) they will do badly
>
> if you are willing to use your 75 set it up with sand bottom and only
> put in the bluegill.
>
> Fellow native newbie Robert Nichols Greenville South Carolina
>
> Becky Kendell <appycowgirl34-in-yahoo.com> wrote: Hello,
>
> My name is Becky, I am new to the mailing list and to the hobby of
> keeping native fish. I live in Menasha, WI. I have two tanks of
> tropical fish, a 75 gal. and a 20 gal. I also keep (and breed when I
> feel like having all kinds of babies) several different kinds of dart
> frogs, and I have a couple snakes too. This summer I began fishing a
> lot at my fiance's family's cottage on a small lake in Wisconsin. I
> kept catching little bluegills, perch, and pumpkinseeds and started
> to realize how pretty these fish are, especially the pumpkinseeds.
> Well, it was just a thought in the back of my mind until a fellow
> frog-hobbyist friend of mine called and said he was moving and wanted
> to get rid of a bunch of his tanks, one of them being a 125 gallon
> including stand, lights, and covers. I set it up in my basement,
> since it wouldn't fit anywhere else in the house, and after about a
> month, I now have fish in it.
>
> I thought I'd describe it and would like anyone on here to let me
> know if I'm doing anything wrong. I made one end of it with a sandy
> bottom, the other with gravel and rocks. On the sandy side, there are
> a few live plants, some fake ones, and logs for hiding. This is also
> the brighter side. The other side does not have a light over it and
> will (when I find the right rocks) have hiding places in the rocks. I
> thought this would provide the fish with a choice of habitat. (of
> course I don't really know what I'm doing yet, but it does look
> neat!) I have two bio-wheel filters running, one on the rocky side
> and one in the middle....causing the planted side to have less
> current. I have tested the water, and there is no amonia or nitrates
> anymore. The hardness is pretty high, but I am thinking that is ok
> since I am also catching fish from this same area? The fish so far
> seem to be doing great. Much better than I expected. I started with a
> pumpkinseed (almost adult) a small bluegill, and a small perch. They
> got used to the tank pretty quick. I also bought a young crappie from
> a pet store, hoping it would do well right away and eat food more
> readily, but actually it has turned out to be the shyest. After about
> a week, I then caught a rock bass. It took up residence in a
> hollowed-out piece of wood I put in there, and then after a few days
> also started to come out and beg for food with the others. I thought
> it might cause trouble with the little bluegill who is only about an
> inch and a half, but everyone gets along fine! Today I went fishing
> again and came back with a bigger bluegill, and another perch. So the
> total is 1 pumpkinseed, 2 bluegill, 2 perch, 1 rock bass, and 1
> crappie. Surprisingly (to me at least) the pumpkinseed is the king
> (or queen?). The bass is actually really submissive and I have taken
> to feeding him from my hand so no one else gets his food. I am
> absolutely hooked on these guys now. I wish they could be upstairs. I
> do know someday the fish I have might not get along when they mature,
> and I do have other tanks laying around for such and occation. As for
> feeding, I started with fish to get them to come out and hunt. Then
> they started taking worms I dropped in. For a while not all of them
> would come get the worms, but now they do. Now that they look for
> things dropping from the surface, I think I will try some sinking
> pellets.
>
> I look forward to learning more about native fish from all of you. I
> have been reading lately about fish that have been introduced in my
> area...I was shocked at how many of them don't belong here. I live
> next to the biggest lake in WI, Lake Winnebago. I'm very saddened to
> find out it is in much more trouble than I knew with all the
> introduced species of fish, crayfish, mussels, and plants, there
> doesn't seem to be much hope for the wildlife that belongs here.
>
> Becky
>
>
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-- ............................................................ derek parr http://www.derekparr.com 101-B eastwood lake road artist-in-derekparr.com chapel hill, NC 27514 919.444.9003 /----------------------------------------------------------------------- / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes / Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily / reflect the beliefs or goals of NANFA. For more information about NANFA, / visit http://www.nanfa.org Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are / consistent with the guidelines as per / http://www.nanfa.org/guidelines.shtml To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get / help, visit the NANFA email list home page and archive at / http://www.nanfa.org/email.shtml