Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Alright, instead of doing a tropical tank, I decided I want to keep a couple small native fish with some native snails and clams. Would it be of benefit to the tank if I were to take a couple stones or a branch and add them to the tank without cleaning them well? I would hose them down to get the mud and stuff off, but would it be a good idea to keep the bacteria on the stones? I dont know, probably a dumb question, but I was thinking it may be beneficial seeing as the inhabitants have been raised in "dirty" creek water.

Did you pull the inhabitants from the creek yourself? That could be illegal where you live! Not to mention throw off the creek's system.............
My advice to you is to release the inhabitants back into their home and go to a local pet store and buy farm raised fish. It keeps our creeks, rivers, streams and lakes in their natural fish state minus the pollutants we all put into them, supports local business, and helps guarantee healthy fish if you know what to look for and where to look for it. I've had the absolute best luck with small, local non-chain stores. I only buy fish from petsmart/petco etc... if I know that the fish are being maintained well. These places are great for supplies and keeping your tank and fish healthy though.
As for the natural rocks/twigs: Nature put those there for a reason and you can upset the balance of the creek, yes even by removing a few stones and other things! So a better question to ask would be is having an aquarium in your home worth getting into trouble/upsetting a local ecosystem?
Another thought is that the fish in the creek my not be healthy themselves due to local pollution and such, you could be bringing things into your home that are un-healthy for you too.
To sum it all up: This could very likely be illegal, it can be disastrous to the environment and can get you sick as well.

Last I checked, Bluegill are a dime a dozen in just about every freshwater source in the easter U.S. 2 small ones arent hurting a thing.
As for the clams, in the stretch of the stream that goes behind my house you can reach down underwater and pick up a handful of dirt anywhere and come up with at least 2 clams. Doesn't quite seem like a threatened species to me.

But you did make a good point. Taking a stone about the size of my fist and a branch that would fit into a 29 gallon tank out of the stream would, in fact, destroy the ecosystem as we know it. It's a good thing you came along to set me straight, I really appreciate it. Way to go, Gomer.

By the way, if it's legal to throw out a cast net and bring in easily 15-50 sunfish in one shot, just to use as bait, do you really think it would be illegal to catch one or two to put into a healthy home aquarium? I highly doubt it. But what do I know? Thanks for nothing. Maybe somebody could actually answer the question I asked now.

>>Last I checked, Bluegill are a dime a dozen in just about every freshwater source in the easter U.S. 2 small ones arent hurting a thing.
>>As for the clams, in the stretch of the stream that goes behind my house you can reach down underwater and pick up a handful of dirt anywhere and come up with at least 2 clams. Doesn't quite seem like a threatened species to me.
>>
>>But you did make a good point. Taking a stone about the size of my fist and a branch that would fit into a 29 gallon tank out of the stream would, in fact, destroy the ecosystem as we know it. It's a good thing you came along to set me straight, I really appreciate it. Way to go, Gomer.
>>
>>By the way, if it's legal to throw out a cast net and bring in easily 15-50 sunfish in one shot, just to use as bait, do you really think it would be illegal to catch one or two to put into a healthy home aquarium? I highly doubt it. But what do I know? Thanks for nothing. Maybe somebody could actually answer the question I asked now.

wow you don't have to be such a raving jerk. good job winning the asshole award for the month
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I am angered by the phrase "they are just fish" No one says that about furry, feathered and fluffy friends; why are fish labeled "just fish"? They have faces, needs, and feelings too. There are a few things that make me extremeley happy in this world, one of the big ones is working on my fish tanks and watching my fish grow

I would clean them well just because there may be parasites or hangers on that you don't want in your tank (snails, larvae etc). For stones I think it would be ok, but for wood I would opt for the fish store just because it would absorb any bleach and you can't be sure of how clean or rinsed you have it. Other than that, as far as the merky water, you might be able to find some care sheets on whatever species you are keeping. if you change the quality of the water, I would do it gradually as to not shock the fish.