does anybody keep bluegills or sunfish?

[frank_zappa]

i have always wanted to keep a tank with them but i want to see if there is anyone who has experience keeping them. the different varieties have such nice color and there would be no heater necessary. they do get fairly large though, and i imagine they make a mess.

potential tank mates could include horn pout, yellow perch, golden shiner, sucker..

any thoughts? minimum tank size? i was thinking of 55 or 75; is that enough?

[shockshockshad]

I've never kept them, but they get up to 10" don't they? Plus they are schooling fish...so you can just imagine on how big a tank you would need. If you want some native fish, I've heard of people keeping pumkinseed fish. (or something like that. Others will know more than me)

[smaug]

I've never kept them, but they get up to 10" don't they? Plus they are schooling fish...so you can just imagine on how big a tank you would need. If you want some native fish, I've heard of people keeping pumkinseed fish. (or something like that. Others will know more than me)
Pumpkin seeds are a type of sunfish.Bluegills or sunnys would be no more difficult to keep then any large cichlid would be.Good filtration and proper diet would be the key.Yes they can reach 10" plus but so do alot of cichlids,that doesnt keep people from keeping them.Sunnys would need a cooler temp then most cichlids,in the neighborhood of the mid 70s on down to low 70s would be fine.BTW,punkinseeds are the prettiest candidates.

[frank_zappa]

alot of them are reallly nice looking



bluespotted sunfish
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longear sunfish:
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redbreast sunfish:
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banded sunfish:
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pumpkinseed:
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[Algenco]

Longears are absolutely gorgeous !! We catch some big males in the summer that are as colorful as any tropicals

[*Sarah*]

Isn't it illegal to keep fish that you catch in a tank? I dunno if it is or not, just heard that somewhere.

[Algenco]

Isn't it illegal to keep fish that you catch in a tank? I dunno if it is or not, just heard that somewhere.

some states require a permit to keep native species, anyone considering it should contact their Fish and Wildlife Dept first

[riot]

I've kept bluegills before. They like to jump out of the tank a lot.

[lobsternoob]

I've kept a few different types of sunfish, theyre a lot of fun, very colorful, and VERY active. They are so quick to pick up on hand feeding it's really surprising. I used to catch them, grow them out for a few months and then put them out into my backyard pond, which I unfortunately no longer have. Theyre pretty easy to care for, and will eat just about anything, they have a particular fondness for earthworms I've found. Yes they are a bit messy, but probably honestly not even as bad as an oscar. They do like to jump, so a good lid is a must. They don't do the greatest alone but they can also be really territorial. I've kept 4 in a 50 gallon till they were around 5-6" and they did ok, but it started seeming a bit crowded. No heater is really necessary as long as your house doesn't have major temperature shifts, and stays "comfortable". They seem to do pretty well in planted tanks too, most of them are not the compulsive redecorators I find my SA cichlids to be. If you have any questions send me a PM and I'll do what I can to answer them.

[NickFish]

They're not schooling fish, actually they can be quite territorial sometimes.
But they're fine together if they all have hiding places to go to.

You couldn't keep more than 1 or 2 of the larger sunfish species in that tank size, but you could keep many of the smaller ones.

Orange spotted sunfish stay under 4", and easily top the colors of pumpkinseeds.

[Crispy]

IMO a 55 gallon is too small for bluegills. 90 minimum for more than 4. They don't do well when they're cramped for space and they are VERY messy!!

[smaug]

I've kept a few different types of sunfish, theyre a lot of fun, very colorful, and VERY active. They are so quick to pick up on hand feeding it's really surprising. I used to catch them, grow them out for a few months and then put them out into my backyard pond, which I unfortunately no longer have. Theyre pretty easy to care for, and will eat just about anything, they have a particular fondness for earthworms I've found. Yes they are a bit messy, but probably honestly not even as bad as an oscar. They do like to jump, so a good lid is a must. They don't do the greatest alone but they can also be really territorial. I've kept 4 in a 50 gallon till they were around 5-6" and they did ok, but it started seeming a bit crowded. No heater is really necessary as long as your house doesn't have major temperature shifts, and stays "comfortable". They seem to do pretty well in planted tanks too, most of them are not the compulsive redecorators I find my SA cichlids to be. If you have any questions send me a PM and I'll do what I can to answer them.
Very good post,the "messyness" would be no worse then any other larger fish,likely a lot less then a common pleco which seem to be widely kept.

[frank_zappa]

i am a lonnng ways from actually doing this....but it is something i think about sometimes. i do not even have a tank for that purpose at the moment. i am on the lookout for a tank though; perhaps it will be a goal of the summer, to find a tank for it.


here is what i suppose is an ethics question:

if you raised some sunfish til they got to maximum size, would it be cruel to release them in a little farm pond somewhere? would they be able to survive or would they be easy targets? as for the legality issue, that is just one that i would play ignorance with. i do not see any harm in it.

[smaug]

i am a lonnng ways from actually doing this....but it is something i think about sometimes. i do not even have a tank for that purpose at the moment. i am on the lookout for a tank though; perhaps it will be a goal of the summer, to find a tank for it.



here is what i suppose is an ethics question:

if you raised some sunfish til they got to maximum size, would it be cruel to release them in a little farm pond somewhere? would they be able to survive or would they be easy targets? as for the legality issue, that is just one that i would play ignorance with. i do not see any harm in it.
Ill hop on this before everyone else does.My opinion about this will vary greatly from the rest.I would do exactly as you suggest,releasing them into a farm pond will cause no problems at all.If all you keep the sunnys with are wild caught sunnys then there are no pathogens uncommon to wild sunnys to introduce into the pond,also,the tank kept sunnys released back into the "wild"would be at no greater risk then there "wild" conterpart.Go for it.

[Crispy]

I agree with you too Smaug, releasing them into a farmers pond won't do any damage... although most members would probably disagree....

[sleeby]

Sweet Momma Jenkins!! THANK YOU for this thread.

I have a pond at my cabin - not large but 6' deep and about 30 yards in diameter. I have Koi, large mouth bass and white crappie in it.

The crappie are never, ever seen though. The bass have done fantastic. It is a wild pond, I feed them when there for my amusement but that's maybe ten times a year. Also throw in a lot of minnows early each spring and some crayfish.

The farmer I bought the young fish from assures me that the crappie are in there and doing fine. I have not seem one in three years though and don't want to use a hook to find out. He says that if the bass have done so well then they have too. He never sees his either but nets them out to sell and has many.

I love the look of these fish though. I think I might get some more young from him (~2") and keep them at home and then release them each year and get new ones - let them grow till I know the bass won't eat them and see. If he's right and there are already plenty in there then no harm.

Black crappie:
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White Crappie:
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[frank_zappa]

wow, that pond sounds great....if ever you want someone to go check and see if there are any crappies, you just let me know....i love those fish.

how large have the bass grown? if they are growing large i bet they are doing so by eating crappies. crappie grow fast and i believe are quite prolific. you may have a population of shiners in there as well. they grow quite large too. any carp in it?

[frank_zappa]

I agree with you too Smaug, releasing them into a farmers pond won't do any damage... although most members would probably disagree....

well, i am willing to listen to both sides of the argument...but i don't see why it would be a problem. is this likely to touch a nerve?

i am not actually in the planning stages of this yet....im just weighing all the pros and cons

[sleeby]

Well, the crappies were kinda there to feed the bass - not the adults, but their young. There are minnows in there - I add a few hundred each spring and still see some in the fall. Crayfish too.

I dunno about the crappie. They small ones sure were pretty when I put them in a few years ago - pearlescent white with black marks. The farmer assures me they are in there still and since it would mean less sales for him I doubt he is lying - though he might be wrong.

Yeah, I had two grass carp in there. They were *always* together. One died last Winter and now there is only the one. They were put in there about ten years ago now. Huge fish. I will not replace though.

They are licensed here in Western NY and they can only be sold if neutered (or whatever). They were added to control the cattails but they did too good of a job when they got large. We used to buy and plant various lilies and other nice plants. The plants are still alive but not seen as the carp and Koi eat the roots as they are wont to do. So, the cattails are also more or less non-existent. All that root feeding also make the water cloudy all year. I see signs of everything along the high water mark where they cannot reach so it will all grow back once the last carp passes on. I kinda want that to happen for the plants but am not going to do anything to expedite either.

Here's a picture of the pond (again, less plant life the last five years now though):

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[sleeby]

The black crappie were about 8-10 months old and 2" when I bought them last. They would be in a tank for twelve months and so grow to around 6", I'm guessing, before being released (they are 7-8" at two years of age I read).

How many would be right ways for a 75G tank (48" x 18" x 21") assuming good filtration?

[frank_zappa]

for some reason i thought they grew faster than that....but im not sure how many would be appropriate and for how long in a 75.

[sunfishman]

i keept a pumkinseed in with an oscar, they grew around the same rate and had similar personalities, and the pumkinseed was ok with the water needs for the oscar. sunfish are sort of like cicihlds, in that they can be large, aggressive, and colorful. i realy think they are an unsung chapter in aquarium fish. i'm planning on getting a 120 gal. and filling it with a crapie, an oscar, and a pumkinseed, along with some other cichlids that can handle somewhat lower temperatures.

[stunner]

Check out NANFA...North American Native Fishes Association. They have a forum and great article base on native fish for ponds and aquariums. It's really a great read for anybody interested.

[Mith]

Isn't it illegal to keep fish that you catch in a tank? I dunno if it is or not, just heard that somewhere.

I also enforce ca fish and game laws and in ca, you're not allowed to transport live fish from a lake....

[Padams]

If you are catching them "wild" and releasing them back "wild" what is the issue? Most State do have laws on releasing Non-Native species, but I have yet to hear anything about Native species. If you own the pond well you are simply stocking it, the purpose it at your discretion. I would not advertise it more than necessary though as I am sure there would be a new rule real soon.

my .02

[wolf_eyes]

Most states only require you to have a fishing permit to catch and keep local aquatic wildlife. Please make sure you have one though, because if you are fishing in a trout creek/river, then you can get into some trouble if you don't have one. It never hurts to look up local laws though, after all it's better to be safe and environmentally responsible than to possibly get into trouble. I have to go to work, but when I get back, I have a book that tells you the requirements and best ways to care for almost all the native species of fish. I'll send you some info.... if amazon doesn't beat me to it lol. I also recommend the NANFA forum as there is a lot of helpful info on that site.

[jaysee]

I used to keep them in my fish pond, and my friend keeps one in an aquarium. They are meaner than any cichlid and will kill most anything you try to keep them with. I think your best bet for a tankmate is a crappie, but even that is 50/50 IMO. I have a sneaking suspision that the sunny will beat the crappie up pretty bad.

[Nobodynotime]

I caught a few really small sunfish kept them in a 55 and feed them with the stuff I caught them with (wax worms, night crawlers, crickets) and when they got bigger I released them back where I caught them.
The cool thing was by keeping them and observing their patterns on certain days with different barometric pressures I could tell if the fish would be biting or not. thumbs2:

[jaysee]

I caught a few really small sunfish kept them in a 55 and feed them with the stuff I caught them with (wax worms, night crawlers, crickets) and when they got bigger I released them back where I caught them.
The cool thing was by keeping them and observing their patterns on certain days with different barometric pressures I could tell if the fish would be biting or not. thumbs2:

It's generally a REALY bad idea to release fish you've kept in an aquarium, even if they were wild local fish when you got them. An aquarium is a closed ecosystem with the potential to carry diseases and such, obviously. The fish you brought home from the pond will develope a resistance to what's in your aquarium, but the wild fish may not have this. Those fish have the potential to devestate the locol population when you release them, like the settlers and the indians way back when. Fish taken captive like that are best destroyed.

[Nobodynotime]

It's generally a REALY bad idea to release fish you've kept in an aquarium, even if they were wild local fish when you got them. An aquarium is a closed ecosystem with the potential to carry diseases and such, obviously. The fish you brought home from the pond will develope a resistance to what's in your aquarium, but the wild fish may not have this. Those fish have the potential to devestate the locol population when you release them, like the settlers and the indians way back when. Fish taken captive like that are best destroyed.

I was not aware that settlers and indians kept aquariums.

And the fish were not diseased, none of them or any other fish in my tank had and problems while I had them and I can tell you that the bluegills population at this lake is definitely still thriving.

[jaysee]

I was not aware that settlers and indians kept aquariums.

And the fish were not diseased, none of them or any other fish in my tank had and problems while I had them and I can tell you that the bluegills population at this lake is definitely still thriving.

The native americans could not fight off the foreign diseases of the white man, and the result was plague-like. They didn't have to be sick to be carriers. This is a perfect correlation.

I'm glad the lake is still thriving, but it's still a VERY bad idea. Why do you think there are laws against keeping those fish as pets? Because people return them to the wild when they get too big.