Bluegill

[twofortysx]

so ill start off with how i acquired these bluegill. i was out fishing a few days ago and had a minnow trap out to hopefully catch some minnows. i ended up catching 7 very small bluegill about 1-1 1/2in in length. i ended up using 2 of the baby bluegill as bait and had the rest left as i was about to leave. i didnt want to throw them back so i decided to keep them as pets

i know how horrible it is on a fish to start a new tank with them in it but i did it anyway. i used an old filter, substrate and water from my 90g to get this tank kick started. the tank is a 10g with some flat smooth rocks creating a cave and lots of hiding room for the fish. it has a huge bushy fake plant but i plan on snagging some live ones from my big tank soon. also i have a powerhead adjusted to a low setting creating a small current across the top of the tank.

now that you have the background info, heres my problem. i didnt think they would make it more than a day or so but they are starting to swim around and get over their shyness. what are these fish going to eat once they get over the fact they are in a aquarium and not the lake? ive read they will accept cichlid pellets which i have from the previous owner of my 90g but they dont want them at the moment. they were attractd to bread in the minnow trap, could i toss in a small chunk of bread?

the next concern is if these fish do thrive in this tank will the outgrow the tank or only grow to the size of the tank?

ill appreciate any info

thanks
Jimmy

 

[demonmagus]

I don't know what bluegills are, but isn't it illegal to take them?

I don't know anyway but I do know that no fish 'grows to the size of the tank'.

 

[libertine]

If they do "grow to the size of the tank" their insides will be getting bigger and bigger and their outsides wont. Soon all the internal organs will be smushed and they could die.

HTH

--Sara

 

[twofortysx]

I don't know what bluegills are, but isn't it illegal to take them?

I don't know anyway but I do know that no fish 'grows to the size of the tank'.

well a bluegill is a fish and no in PA there isnt a size limit or season for the harvest of bluegill.

 

[bUcky]

blue are perty . i want some with in a preditor tank with maybe some peacock bass and some other fish like that. here in florida i catch them all the time. kind of a pest when you trying to catch bass.

 

[Mikaila31]

bluegills get to be over a foot in the wild, i'm not sure how big they get in captivity. I care for some at my school, and i do not feel they make good aquarium pets. The three in the school tanks i will be releaseing back into the wild at the end of the year. Yours are very young but bluegills are very territorial. The ones at school are in a 180gal. tank with only two other fish. the largest is only 5" long and it's territory is pretty much the hole tank. The other two are both around 3" and stay on opposite end from each other, and the big one is always chasing them around. I'm very happy as there's only 2 more weeks before they go back to the wild.

So, my best advice is that you should but them back in the lake that you found them in.

 

[twofortysx]

if your keeping fish in an aquarium and feeding them regularly returning them to the wild doesnt sound like a good idea. your fish and all so i really dont care what you do with them.

 

[LucyHurst]

Does it really matter whos fish they are, they are fish, they are lives, they are all one thing, we cant claim life as ours (unless its our life ) but dont you want whats best for them? clear advice here is saying they would be best in the wild.

 

[twofortysx]

ya that is exactly it.

thats the advice here but a few days of searching around the internet has uncovered other advice reguarding this topic. bluegills are actually the most easily adaptable fish to aquarium life especially if transitioned at an early enough age.

thanks for the help anyway..

 

[Tuishimi]

Bluegills (especially young) will accept all the normal, prepared foods that you would feed your tropicals. They are very much cichlid-like. They can get somewhat large... someone said a foot, I've never seen any over 8 inches... but that just means I've never seen any over 8 inches. They are very hardy, and do become aggressive.

N.A. Sunfish are very pretty. There isn't one that doesn't have some fantastic coloration in them! The juveniles may not be overly colorful, but the adults are very attractive.

ya that is exactly it.

thats the advice here but a few days of searching around the internet has uncovered other advice reguarding this topic. bluegills are actually the most easily adaptable fish to aquarium life especially if transitioned at an early enough age.

thanks for the help anyway..

Any pictures, btw?