Well just set up my tank and im filtering the water right now and getting the chemicals set in.

Now i want to figure out what kinda fish to put in it!

Any suggestions please. Thinkin of just getting a small largemouth, but kinda want something no one eles has lol. When i was in wisconsin for a fishing trip, in the river there were hundreds of northern pike minnows that were 3-4 inches long. That would be so sweet to have i think but i have no way of getting one here lol.

Thanks yall

I have two bluegill, a green sunfish, and a redbreast sunfish in my 55 gallon tank.  They are very active, and eat minnows, crickets, and fish food.  Its very fun to watch them eat.

What chemicals?

You need to cycle your tank first. You can do it with a goldfish. There are also products available that will cycle a tank in 24-48 hours. Like Bio-Spira. Putting fish in a tank that does not have a functioning nitrogen cycle will often kill them.

Dont put fish in your tank if they will outgrow it.

How many gallons?

I have never cycled my tank and my two bass and two bream are just fine and always have been. They are beautiful and fun to watch eat.

Get a scoop net (or small cast net with very thin holes) go to a local bream pond and start scoopin'. put everything but minners (minnows) in you bucket, bass, tilapia, bream, catfish, crawfish, bowfin, and the occasional, mystery fish  :-?!

I did the same thing, with a 50gl tank, if you get anything good, like bass and bream, go to the place you got the fish at and get small minners they love them, it's also fun to watch 'em get 'et!

I suggest getting anything that comes from a pet store instead of a pond.  These fish were bred in captivity to be in captivity.  I suggest an Oscar if you like big fish but not if your tank is any smaller than 55 gals

LEAVE THE WILD ANIMALS ALONE!!!

CFFF- Are you saying you just ran tap water into a tank and added fish and they lived??????  

Nitro cycle takes about 2-3 weeks w/ feeders or goldfish, about a week with an enzyme additive like Bio-Spira or Biozyme.

If you add Bass or other gamefish, make sure it's legal in your state first, in most,...IT'S NOT (w/o permit)

I need to start avoiding fish tank threads, they only get me agitated.  >

as lbh says leave wild animals alone.  buy an african butterfly fish.

Get a scoop net (or small cast net with very thin holes) go to a local bream pond and start scoopin'. put everything but minners (minnows) in you bucket, bass, tilapia, bream, catfish, crawfish, bowfin, and the occasional, mystery fish :-?!

I did the same thing, with a 50gl tank, if you get anything good, like bass and bream, go to the place you got the fish at and get small minners they love them, it's also fun to watch 'em get 'et!

Yeah...so everything that was said above, don't do that. Not only is it stupid, it's also very illegal in most states.

My suggestion is a managuense, also known as a Jaguar Cichlid. They start out pretty small, an inch or two, but can grow quite large. In a properly maintained aquarium they can get to be about 14"-17". Largest I have ever heard of is 22" long. They are gorgeous fish and are quite aggressive. Don't know that I would put much else in the tank with it, but that's up to you. Just be warned that as it get's larger it will likely show aggression towards any tankmates. I would suggest a tank at least 80 gallons. A larger one would be better than that. I would also recommend a heavy duty filtration undergravel cannister filtration system since these fish, like most cichlids, are quite messy.

My dad has some afircan ciclids, they are some really beautifull fish and they chase eachother around, it is really intresting to watch them because each one has funny habits and different personalitys.

Get a scoop net (or small cast net with very thin holes) go to a local bream pond and start scoopin'. put everything but minners (minnows) in you bucket, bass, tilapia, bream, catfish, crawfish, bowfin, and the occasional, mystery fish  :-?!

I did the same thing, with a 50gl tank, if you get anything good, like bass and bream, go to the place you got the fish at and get small minners they love them, it's also fun to watch 'em get 'et!

Yeah...so everything that was said above, don't do that. Not only is it stupid, it's also very illegal in most states.

My suggestion is a managuense, also known as a Jaguar Cichlid. They start out pretty small, an inch or two, but can grow quite large. In a properly maintained aquarium they can get to be about 14"-17". Largest I have ever heard of is 22" long. They are gorgeous fish and are quite aggressive. Don't know that I would put much else in the tank with it, but that's up to you. Just be warned that as it get's larger it will likely show aggression towards any tankmates. I would suggest a tank at least 80 gallons. A larger one would be better than that. I would also recommend a heavy duty filtration undergravel cannister filtration system since these fish, like most cichlids, are quite messy.

lol,...nope,....he doesn't like company,lol.  "Company" becomes "dinner".

Pretty much the same with an Oscar or any larger aggressive fish, unless you raise them together from when they are young.

This might get interesting.

The ethics of fish keeping aside I have a suggestion for the thread starter.

For a compromise on getting some wild/native fish try for some legal sized bluegill or other sunfish. They behave very similarly to cichlids and are free. Usually keeper size is 5-6 inches meaning they are not too big for a reasonably sized aquarium. I've also found 4" channel catfish at my local fish store. Mine eats out of my hand. Both species are really easy to feed. (They inhale lunchmeat, bugs, flake, pellet and anything else remotely organic.) They don't seem too picky about tank or water quality.

Two 5-6" bluegill and the little catfish wouldn't overtax a 35+ gallon if you took care of the tank and made sure it was well filtered. I've kept a similar combination to this for several months now and both tank and fish are doing great. Just keep in mind the little catfish and bluegill (especially catfish) will grow so be ready to eventually upgrade tanks (or better yet start with a bigger one) if you take this route.

This might be a good way for you to keep some pretty interesting native fish without dealing with all the issues people were discussing. Hope this was in some way helpful.

let the nitrogen cycle occur naturally. just run a filter with carbon until your water parameters are optimal. trying to speed up any process will eventually spell disaster. add fish one at a time. wild caught fish will bring parasites...

the only chemicals you should be using are for removing chlorine during water changes. stay away from ph up and down type stuff

LMB requires a huge tank

just trying to help....

ive always liked clown loaches for the fresh water community tank

for aggressive i like pacus, oscars, african cichlids