# Illinois native fish aquariums???



## Budget aquarist (Feb 1, 2011)

So, im going ahead at my second try at an illinois native fish aquarium fit with a turtle, sunfish, my beloved bullhead, and a bass or two. any who, if you would like to know about my first try, i had a beautiful largemouth bass and bullhead, whom is still staying with me, but my largemouth was "neglected" and passed on because of someone *cough, cough* while i was on vacation. i am planning to either create a slow river tank with my 20 long, or try and con my dad into letting me get a 40 breeder, or making one out of acrylic. any suggestions? im going to collect native plants as well, and if they dont work, il just have to settle for java fern, whom no fish can kill. any suggestions about feeding bass without feeders ? they get to be a real pain, so if anyone has advice about feeding a bass un- live food or maybe worms, please post below !!!!


----------



## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

A steralite tub and a starter kit of redworms will give you an endless supply of food.


----------



## WhiteDevil (Jun 8, 2009)

They will take crawlers till the cows come home.
Im up the fox from you, I collect natives north of elgin. I got a few concerns due to size of the tank and species you are thinking of housing.

In a 20L id get orange spot sunfish and river darters. 

A bass in a 20L was doomed to begin with, were talking BASS here even smallies get big.

Game fish especially predatory ones will be hard to get on staple foods. You also can never release these animals under illinois DNR law due to them being captive and tended to with food from humans. They wont last long in the wild once re-released. Not trying to be a downer but if you are gonna keep the game fish you gotta house them properly. An adult Largemouth needs a minimum of 300g to himself or herself.

Id just do river darters in a 20L to be truly honest. They are rampant in the fox.


----------



## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Madtoms are native and stay small as well. I had darters and theyre cool. We also have a few cool minnows.


----------



## Budget aquarist (Feb 1, 2011)

yah i know about the bass, i use my 20L to grow them from fingerlings, till they are about 8 inches, then i release them into a koi pond, where they feed on the seemingly endless supply of frogs. and my 13 inch bullhead is in my 20 L right now and he seems fine, but im trying to get a bigger tank for him, or dig a pond. i have had darters before, they are awesome, but my bullhead grew and ate them...


----------



## WhiteDevil (Jun 8, 2009)

State record is 5# for the bullhead, set back in 1955, let me fish the pond when you are done lol.

This is the problem with natives, they are garbage guts they eat anything and everything they can. Im going collecting again when the water temps hit 70, im trying to sell my twice used 1000g hunting waders and get a pair of summer ones lol. We were dip netting darters last evening before the storms came thru in the creek, one of those blue cormorants was staring us down.

13" bull is way big for the narrow depth of the 20L. Id go with mad toms over the bullheads, we used to get MT's in with the food at cabela's and the occasional crawfish, neither one made it to the bottom once the bass crew smelt em lol


----------



## ktownhero (Mar 21, 2011)

There's no easy way to say this... why in the heck are you trying to keep fish like bass in a 20L!? That's a WAY disproportionately small tank for what that fish needs.


----------



## Budget aquarist (Feb 1, 2011)

@ ktownhero, read the above post of mine, i raise them til 8" then i put them into a pond, hey! i should try that, i live 2 blocks from the lower west branch of the dupage river! i will go when the weather warms up! so darters it is!


----------

