# does anyone know anything about keeping "ling" or "suckers" as pets?



## catchandkeep (Nov 23, 2010)

*does anyone know anything about keeping "ling" or "suckers" as pets?*

my brother:fish: lives in wyoming where they are both considered nuisance fish in the rivers, so he is constantly catching them. i'm curious about getting a wild caught sucker (smaller than ten inches anyway) as a bottom feeder and a ling (under 12 inches).

ling are very much like gigantic loaches. look exactly the same though, and are not indiginous to wyo, but got introduced and are taking over. 

i'm just wondering if anyone has any experience or knowledge about what to expect if i were to keep them as pets in a large aquarium (i'm thinking 100 gallons at least).


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## SGT Z (Jul 7, 2010)

I don't know much about those two species, but I did read that the sucker fish grows to 2 feet and the ling can reach up 7 feet. You're going to need one huge aquarium.


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## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

There are generally very strict rules about transporting and keeping any invasive animal. If either of those fish are on your states invasive species list then they are most likely illegal to own. If they are not then your chances are better. 

What little info I did look at mentioned that the ling(lota lota) likes very cold water and it sounds like the fish would probably not last very long in an aquarium unless a chiller was used.


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## catchandkeep (Nov 23, 2010)

ya the more and more i read about the ling the less likely it looks, but i do know that the variety that grows to 7 feet are not the inland ones found in wyo. they are the ling cod that are found in the ocean. the state record was about three feet long though, and they live an awful long time so it is pretty unlikely. 

i'm wondering if suckers would make efficient bottom cleaners, and if they produce less waste than they dispose of. sort of like a non tropical version of a pleco is what i'm looking at, for an aquarium filled with indigenous fish that i catch.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

when searching google for what a ling is i came across this bad mama jamma and thought i would share its called a wolf eel http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/storage/animals/520x260/Wolf-EelLx.jpg


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## catchandkeep (Nov 23, 2010)

bad mama jamma indeed. i want one.... j/k.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Suckers are fairly common aquarium fish among native fish enthusiasts, and they do fine. Basically treat it like any other BIG loach and you should have good results.


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## catchandkeep (Nov 23, 2010)

that's kind of what i envisioned salt. right now it's putting the cart before the horse since it is out of season and i need to get a large set up before anything, but i am excited about starting a native fish aquarium.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

id probably do native fish if they weren't all so big and most importantly illegal to own. its funny i live about 1 minute from minnesota in la crosse wisconsin. where it is legal here to use any native fish as bate but u cannot keep any native fish in an aquarium. we live right on the mississippi river that is the border between us an minnesota so they fish the same areas regularly but over there it is illegal to use any native fish as bate but it is perfectly legal to keep any native fish in an aquarium. pretty redundant if you ask me.... :/


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## catchandkeep (Nov 23, 2010)

ya, i'm not sure if anything has changed since i last checked a few years ago, but in colorado it was ok to keep any native fish aside from rainbow trout to prevent the spread of whirling disease, and razor nack suckers since they are endangered, and they have to be within the same size restrictions as if you catch them so at least the laws make since here. that's pretty silly to have opposite laws across the river like that.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Revo, Revo, Revo... you're not thinking in the right context. It's perfectly legal to maintain your live bait in a container, and if your container just so happens to be made of glass, so what?
Seriously. Don't invite any game wardens into your house, and you'll be fine. I know a lot of cheeseheads who keep natives.


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

TheOldSalt said:


> Revo, Revo, Revo... you're not thinking in the right context. It's perfectly legal to maintain your live bait in a container, and if your container just so happens to be made of glass, so what?
> Seriously. Don't invite any game wardens into your house, and you'll be fine. I know a lot of cheeseheads who keep natives.


I'll back you up on that, having family who does such :lol:


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## catchandkeep (Nov 23, 2010)

and there are also legal channels you can go through if you are worried about it in some cases, for example my brother got a license to procure from the wild, keep, and breed at home minnows, for the purpose of fishing (which actually is his purpose) but if you didn't know that, it appears just that he has a 125 gallon tank full of minnows as pets.

either way i smoke pot so i am less worried about a game warden happening by my house to see my large mouth bass than i am getting caught smoking hehe. also the way he eats, he'll be 15 inches (the legal limit in colorado) in no time.

what the hell am i saying? there's a pot clinic on both ends of my block hehe.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

TheOldSalt said:


> Revo, Revo, Revo... you're not thinking in the right context. It's perfectly legal to maintain your live bait in a container, and if your container just so happens to be made of glass, so what?
> Seriously. Don't invite any game wardens into your house, and you'll be fine. I know a lot of cheeseheads who keep natives.


haha very true


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## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

Revolution1221 said:


> haha very true


Exactly! Rev if you ever want any darters or other small native non-game fish just let me know. I've kept rainbow darters before and do greatly enjoy our small natives, I bet you can guess where they came from. I only stopped with the native because I have my kayak now and it seems silly to keep them when I see hundreds every time I paddle.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

Mikaila31 said:


> Exactly! Rev if you ever want any darters or other small native non-game fish just let me know. I've kept rainbow darters before and do greatly enjoy our small natives, I bet you can guess where they came from. I only stopped with the native because I have my kayak now and it seems silly to keep them when I see hundreds every time I paddle.


lol how come i never see them!


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## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

LOL I don't know where you are looking and what for exactly. But darters are all over st. croix county. Not every body of water has them but any small river/ creek is where they will be.


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