Keeping Crappie Happy

**jay2487** · 11-23-2009, 05:50 PM

I just put 3 Crappie(Speckled Perch) I caught castnetting in my turtle tank. One the size of your palm and two the size of two fingers. They were a little stunned at first and one of the small ones got eaten by the turtle and I had to set the bigger one free in the pond because he would suck down about 10 feeders a day. Now the one little one is doing well but he doesn't eat much and is very dormant. He hardly ever moves unless I drop in a shrimp pellet. Even then the little swordtails can bully him off it when he is 10 times their size. The turtle has stopped chasing him altogether so he shouldn't be to stressed. So my question is, what is the normal behavior for this fish? Are they just very dormant fish or is their something wrong I don't know about? The tank water is 73-78 degrees, always neutral PH and no sign of Ammonia or nitrates in my tests. I took him from a freshwater resoivor(however you spell it)where he would have had to dodge alligators to live so it's kind of hard for me to believe my 2in turtle is stressing him. I constantly check ammonia as the turtle can put off a lot but there hasn't been one spike since I put him in. Where the bigger one would destroy feeders this one won't even try to eat live food but prefers the occasional shrimp pellet. If anyone could tell me anything about keeping these fish as pets and not catching them for dinner it would be greatly appreciated

**Northernguy** · 11-23-2009, 06:01 PM

lol You may fear gators but he doesn't.The fish are too quick!
What size is your turtle tank?
Did you release into a pond or your pond?

**jay2487** · 11-23-2009, 06:12 PM

My Turtle tank is a 4 footer now, first the crappie was in a 20 gal with the turtle but he acts the same in the bigger tank.

**jay2487** · 11-23-2009, 06:13 PM

I released the bigger one into my pond but kept the surviving little one in the 20gal tank, then moved to a bigger tank but no noticable change in behavior

**jay2487** · 11-24-2009, 01:50 PM

I guess no one can help me:(

**Northernguy** · 11-24-2009, 01:55 PM

Its hard to say with it being a wild caught fish.
It may have had a parasite before you added it to your tank.
It may be sulking or just stressed.
Its hard to tell.
What are rest of your perameters?