necturus maculosus

[TrailerParkFishTanks]

Necturus maculosus or commonly known as the mudpuppy. We found one in the bait tank today in with the suckers. It scared the hell out of my mother. Lol. Its about 6-8 inches and I was thinking about keeping it. I still have some research to do but has anyone ever kept one? I normally prefer to do research ahead of time but this guy is so unique I have to try and get him in a setup. I think its only fair to him to give him a chance. Any help would be great.

[linuxrulesusa]

I would make sure it's legal to keep them.  Otherwise, Caudata is a great site for info on care: http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Necturus/N_maculosus.shtml  Info there says 20g long for a single one, no heater (below 68F is ideal), keep the water clean re: nitrates but doesn't need to be clear per se.  Since they tolerate current, unlike axolotls or most aquatic salamanders, you can use a low powered HOB without worrying as much about baffling or reducing the flow.  Or a large sponge filter combined with decent water changes is good as well.  A lid is recommended as they can jump.

I feed my axolotls (some similarities) with worms/bloodworms/shrimp pellets and eventually probably earthworm sticks.

[TrailerParkFishTanks]

That's the site I was checking out. It has some good info on there. They aren't endangered at all in Michigan, but I will check out if I can keep it. I'm also looking into all the perch that we get in the bait tanks too, but I'll start another thread for that. I have a 55 in the basement that would stay cooler most of the year. I'm not sure if I can house the perch and the mudpuppy together though.

[linuxrulesusa]

That's the site I was checking out. It has some good info on there. They aren't endangered at all in Michigan, but I will check out if I can keep it. I'm also looking into all the perch that we get in the bait tanks too, but I'll start another thread for that. I have a 55 in the basement that would stay cooler most of the year. I'm not sure if I can house the perch and the mudpuppy together though.

Generally it's not recommended to keep salamanders with fish (in the size tanks we have in our houses, anyway) because fish will chew on the salamanders' external gills.

[rcombs]

I've kept one for a few months then let it go. Super easy. I can't believe the stuff u can get when a new shipment of bait comes in. Bullheads, tadpoles, mudpuppy, and even seen some lamprey. Strange they don't pick that stuff out. He looks sweet. Mine was a lot of fun to watch. Fed him wax worms, night crawlers, small minnows.

[four_by_ken]

Very cool.

Id like to see how you set up the tank.

[linuxrulesusa]

I've kept one for a few months then let it go. Super easy. I can't believe the stuff u can get when a new shipment of bait comes in. Bullheads, tadpoles, mudpuppy, and even seen some lamprey. Strange they don't pick that stuff out. He looks sweet. Mine was a lot of fun to watch. Fed him wax worms, night crawlers, small minnows.

Great info. 

I do fell compelled to point out, though - if you keep anything in your tanks in captivity, tropical or native, don't release it back into the wild.  There's enough of that going on and a lot of that contributes to increasingly stricter regulations for aquarium/reptile/amphibian hobbyists.  Besides the concern for introducing mutated diseases back into the wild, you can get fined etc if you are caught dumping things back into your local lake/pond/stream/drainage ditch.

Best course of action is to keep the animal for its lifespan, give it to someone else who will take care of it, or euthanize it.

[rcombs]

That makes sense but I caught it full-grown and put it back in the same place I caught it. No harm done.

[linuxrulesusa]

That makes sense but I caught it full-grown and put it back in the same place I caught it. No harm done.

Go read the DNR website.  I'm not trying to start an argument but we've got to follow the laws as they stand or the aquarium hobby will go away, not to mention the bigger conservation concerns.

[Regalblue]

I've kept one for a few months then let it go. Super easy. I can't believe the stuff u can get when a new shipment of bait comes in. Bullheads, tadpoles, mudpuppy, and even seen some lamprey. Strange they don't pick that stuff out. He looks sweet. Mine was a lot of fun to watch. Fed him wax worms, night crawlers, small minnows.

Great info. 

I do fell compelled to point out, though - if you keep anything in your tanks in captivity, tropical or native, don't release it back into the wild.  There's enough of that going on and a lot of that contributes to increasingly stricter regulations for aquarium/reptile/amphibian hobbyists.  Besides the concern for introducing mutated diseases back into the wild, you can get fined etc if you are caught dumping things back into your local lake/pond/stream/drainage ditch.

Best course of action is to keep the animal for its lifespan, give it to someone else who will take care of it, or euthanize it.

X2