what to put in a 29 gallon?

I'm debating starting up an aquarium. I've got room for a 29 gallon (30x12x28) lxwxh.

I'm particularly interested in species native to the midwest. Anyone have any good suggestions? Would a couple of small sunfish or perhaps a small bass work in there for any length of time before needing a bigger aquarium? I'm pretty sure I could have a couple small bullheads or other small catfish species in there and they'd be perfectly happy.

This is probably also going to be a good excuse to start raising nightcrawlers.. as feeders for the fish and also to use for fishing. Are nightcrawlers a good base diet for any particular species, or is that not a good idea, nutritionally speaking?

Supposedly fish will only get as big as there tank allows them to. As far as what type of fish blue gill, small/large mouth bass, and maybe a cat fish. I would stay away from any carp.

oh yeah I wouldn't keep carp without a LARGE pool-sized pond. :D

also if anyone knows a good fish forum (even better, something that leans towards north american fish), send me the link!! Until then I'm stuck trying to google some good info ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by xxxxdopeyxxxx

Supposedly fish will only get as big as there tank allows them to. As far as what type of fish blue gill, small/large mouth bass, and maybe a cat fish. I would stay away from any carp.

---

not always!

i seriously though i would do a nice colorfull sunfish.
a crappie might get too large around 14 inches
a perch would be cool but they get like 14 inches sometimes larger

alot of native fish get too large, but those are pretty much the most interesting fish i would keep in a tank that small.
now if you were talking 55 -75 gallon i would do a walleye.

also note that it must be of legal size limit to have it, so i would go catch a 10" largemouth bass. also bass can get like 18-20" and well into 15lbs or so

awesome :D

Someday I'd love a larger tank with big north american fish in it, but I have room for a 29 gallon so that's what I'm going to work with.

A sunfish sounds like a good idea!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nixer

not always!
also note that it must be of legal size limit to have it, so i would go catch a 10" largemouth bass. also bass can get like 18-20" and well into 15lbs or so

---

only 10". around here large mouth have to be 16" and small mouth have to be 12" or 14". Not positive on the small

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by matt71915

only 10". around here large mouth have to be 16" and small mouth have to be 12" or 14". Not positive on the small

---

oops that was supposed to say i wouldnt go and catch a 10" bass and put it in there

I would tell you to get a Coxi, there very cool rat snake. I dont know much about them but what i do know is there very easy to take care of, and they average about 3ft full grown!

~RyanF~ ps google it, one of the most beautiful rat snake there are if u ask me.

http://www.nathanledet.com/sigs/crochunter.jpg

Have you considered the types of fish you probably think of as bait?

Dace, minnows of various sorts, darters (which are amazingly colored in their breeding dress!) might do better than panfish and gamefish in your tank.

~Bruce

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RyanF

I would tell you to get a Coxi, there very cool rat snake. I dont know much about them but what i do know is there very easy to take care of, and they average about 3ft full grown!

~RyanF~ ps google it, one of the most beautiful rat snake there are if u ask me.

http://www.nathanledet.com/sigs/crochunter.jpg

---

looking for aquatics :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RyanF

I would tell you to get a Coxi, there very cool rat snake. I dont know much about them but what i do know is there very easy to take care of, and they average about 3ft full grown!

~RyanF~ ps google it, one of the most beautiful rat snake there are if u ask me.

http://www.nathanledet.com/sigs/crochunter.jpg

---

Easy to care for?

Really?

Do you have any idea how much one of these costs? And that they are not a fish?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by xxxxdopeyxxxx

Supposedly fish will only get as big as there tank allows them to. As far as what type of fish blue gill, small/large mouth bass, and maybe a cat fish. I would stay away from any carp.

---

Wrong.

You will end up with a large fish with a potentially big bio load in a small tank.

I would pretty much stay away from all of the fish you are thinking of. A 29 gallon just is not going to be big enough. My 210 gallon is not really even big enough for some kinds of predatory fish.
If you are looking for some cool native fish there are plenty available on aquabid that do not grow to monstrous sizes. Like orange throat darters, shiners, killie fish, and mosquito fish. You could have a really cool community tank full of native fish without having to upgrade the size of fish tanks later on.

i agree, with above two, i've been in fish keeping for 8 years, and have a side job of setting up professional tanks, and any game fish in a 29 to 210 gallon is way wrong, if caught in wild even worse. fish dont grow to there tank size per say, once to big for tank they stop growing and it messes up their growth, they just dont stop growing. i have a 125- and a 29 gallon. in my 29 its a small tropical comminity tank. if you need any help just pm or write back. alo i wouldn't recomend game fish period but if must nothing lower than 300-350 gallon and thats buying a minnow sized fish, catching one out of the hide is very band an inhumane. sorry hope im not preachy
:taz: