Any experience on keeping Rock bass?

**skullduggery1** · 08-02-2012, 03:20 AM

I caught a rock bass (Ambloplities rubestris)while out searching the weeds along my local river.My intent was to catch a young bowfin,but in the net was a one inch long goggler.Has anyone keep this fish in a large community aquaria?Say,in with central american cichlids,large syno catfish,large barbs?

**UncleWillie** · 08-09-2012, 05:42 PM

The biggest problem with housing them with tropicals is the temperature. Rock bass do best in cool water. When keeping fish like rock bass in warmer tanks, they tend to expire relatively quickly. The shallows where you caught the fish may be warm this time of year, but there is thermal refuge that the fish can return to just a few inches deeper. Plus think about how cold that water is in the fall, winter and spring. I would suggest you keep this guy in a separate tank.

Another issue is feeding them. They tend to be a pick pickier than their Lepomis sunfish cousins. Try feeding high protein, meaty foods (slivers of fish, earthworms, market shrimp). If you can get it to eat this, maybe you can start training it on a high quality pellet (but sometimes that never happens). I kept one from the time it was 2'' til it was nearly 3''. The problem was that they are very shy and could not compete for food with the other tankmates (redbreast sunfish and spotfin shiners). Eventually it never left cover, and the redbreast killed him when it reached sexual maturity and started defending a nest.

So, make sure it stays cool, and can get enough food to eat. Also, consider the fish's higher metabolism in warm water - it will need to eat a ton in order to not wither away.

**rmiller** · 08-09-2012, 06:16 PM

They do keep fairly well in the freezer (once big enough) until its time to pan sear them.

**h&hmarine** · 11-14-2012, 12:44 AM

I have had a warmouth for about six months...they are very similar to a rockbass...he is about 3 inches and is with about a dozen other bluegills and sunfish and crappies all a lot bigger than him and he comes out and competes for food...when they get big though rock bass tend to ne very aggressive.