native fishes as pets?

Question

i was wondering..native fish we might think as boring..do other countries have interest in our native fish ...say bluegill and other sunfish? some of our native sunfish are actually quite beautiful for instance longeared sunfish.. just curious if some of you from other countries have any interest in fish native to u.s.?

Answer 1

I've had all kinds of native fishes in my tanks. Bluegills, Pumpkin Seeds, Orange Spot Sunfish, Crappies, Rock Bass, Small-mouth Bass, Large-mouth Bass, Norther Pike, Muskies, Sturgeon, Shovel Nosed Sturgeon, Bullhead, Perch, Walleyed Pike, Sticklebacks, Gar. They are all available in certain pet shops in legal fashion.

They keep quite well, especially the smaller types of sunnies. Here in Minnesota they also count against your daily possession limit if you're out fishing, though I've never known a DNR officer to check your fish tank.

As far as I know it is still illegal to catch fish and keep them in a fish tank, especially if they are governed by the state regulations or DNR.

Kev

Answer 2

I live in Southeast Asia and I have to say that North American fishes are quite rare here. Most are not very colourful compared to the tropical fish. And although fish like the sickleback are quite interesting, I've never seen them in the stores. However in recent years, some largemouthed bass have been sold for hobbyists with large aquariums. The stores which specialise in planted tanks also have ocassional imports of the American flagfish. Apart from that, I haven't seen any others. I suspect strict export laws may be one of the other reasons (apart from more colourful and readily available competition) for their rarity.

Answer 3

I have a large mouth bass,2 white perch or "crappie" and a flathead catfish all living quite nicely in a 50 gallon aquarium. I think it is beautiful as I have it decorated as close to natural conditions. I caught these fish about 2 years ago and they do quite nicely. I feed them 100-150 bait minnows a week. I caught them from Lake Sinclair Georgia where I live. The bas and perch will actuallycome take minnows from my hand !! How cool is that ?

Answer 4

I can tell you from experience, the game fish or "Sport fish" not really. Sport fish are not the kind of fish you use in an aquarium. That would be like saying why don't Americians keep Mekong catfish, other than the fact they can grow to be around 650 pounds. Sport fish aren't aquarium fish for anyone in any country. Other countries don't export their sport fish for our tanks.

We have a variety of fish here in the states like the greenfin and Tuckasegee darter Black banded sunfish, but unless you catch them on your own, they may be hard to find.

The sticklebacks
These are a few of the North Americian Native fish that we export, yet sometimes realize they are difficult to find in stores here in the states with descriptions:
The Plains Killifish (Fundulus zebrinus)
This charming fellow looks like an escaped convict with his vertical bars and golden backdrop. In the tank he is very hardy and I have had them spawn in both the pond and the tank. He takes to food like he takes to life, with hardy abandon. One of the finer specimens of a fish you can keep. It occurs in the midwest. Sporadically from Colorado to Texas.
Lined Topminnow (Fundulus linnelatus)
Hard to find but easy to love this guy is cool. The male takes on horizontal striping on a light gray background while the female takes on the vertical stripes. Which makes them a striking pair to say the least. They are as hardy as you can believe and make an excellent species for study or home enjoyment.
Golden Topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus)
The Classic North American Killi . Large, Colorful, exceedingly tolerant of poor conditions and a bit on the mean side. Readily available in the pet trade or through fish clubs.
Bluefin Killie (Lucania goodei)
Probably the most well known of the American Killies this small Killi is an excellent pond or aquarium species . The male is strikingly colorful with fins of blue and red. It's small size and excellent temperament make it suitable for small tanks and jars. Occurs in southern regions but is available commonly in the pet trade or through fish clubs.
Blackstripe Topminnow (Fundulus euryzonus)
An excellent addition to any community tank. This small colorful Killi has a shy temperament and an unusual habit of living almost exclusively in the top three inches of a tank. Very common across the midwest and south.

Spotted gar. Like sturgeons, gars are primitive, prehistoric relicts. As a leftover survival technique from the ancient days, they can use their swim bladder as a spare breathing apparatus, a sort of "lung" that can be put into action when oxygen levels are low in the water around them. Then they come to the surface and gulp air from above.

Here is the report from the export of fish from the US

Tropical species for aquarium and pet shops are imported to the northeast from domestic producers/breeders in Florida and California and Pennsylvania. During 1995, US ornamental exports to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mexico were valued at approximately $20 million. Ornamental fish represent the largest US aquaculture export. 1995 foreign imports of freshwater and marine ornamental fish exceeded $54 million (Harvey 1996). Information summarizing the volume and value of ornamental fish sold in the northeast is not compiled. The port of New York is estimated to handle 16% of national ornamental import and export trade (Chapman et al. 1994). Approximately 14.8 million freshwater fish valued at $2.5 million (wholesale) and 650 thousand marine aquarium fish valued at $638 thousand were imported to the United States during October 1992. Leading species included the common guppy, neon tetra, goldfish, Siamese fighting bettas and swordtails (Chapman et al. 1994; Olin 1996).

Due to new ornamental breeders in the US, in 2003 and 2004 exports of ornamental fish rose to $24.4 million while the importing of these ornamental fish declined by 15%.

Answer 5

not a good idea the native fishes need to live wild because it can lose the instincts and die. or it will die early out of the wild envirment.

Answer 6

no