I have been interested in keeping a grass pickerel but don't know much about them =/. Any information such as tank size, substrate, plants and lighting, where to collect, tank mates, filtration, etc. would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I would say a tank ATLEAST 4' long and 18" wide just to make sure it can turn around. As far as plants, pikes/pickerels look awsome in a completely vallisnarian tank (full of vals).

Thanks, NVChichlids! but i dont know if i have room for a four foot tank in my room, (live with my parnets because im 14). but i can do 3 feet.

Three feet should be OK, just keep the 18" width. A standard 65 gallon would be great, 40 breeder would work too. I strongly suggest you do not keep pickerel with any tankmates (unless you get a much larger tank). Pickerel will try to eat any fish smaller than themselves, and will be annoyed or stressed by any fish they cannot eat. They also don't compete for food well with active gobblers such as sunfish.

The more plants, driftwood, etc. you add, the happier the pickerel will be (as long as he can still move!). Any plant species are fine as long as there are stems or roots in the water column so he will feel hidden. Substrate and lighting don't matter too much to the fish, pick something that will work for the plants you want. Very bright light may stress the pickerel. Moderate or low light and a dark substrate and background tend to bring out the fish's pattern.

You didn't mention food, but wild-caught pickerel will probably only take live feeders for a while. I suggest you use invertebrates as much as possible to avoid disease or parasite transmission (I lost my last pickerel to an infection from contaminated rosy reds). Shrimp, crayfish, insects, and earthworms will all be accepted. Smaller pickerel will also eat micro- and mesocrustaceans, blackworms, bloodworms, etc. I'm told it is possible to train pickerel onto prepared foods, but I did not succeed with mine.

Any decent filter will work. I'm partial to Aquaclear hang-on-back filters myself; an AC 50 would probably be sufficient but you can't go wrong with an AC 110 (especially if you decide to upgrade the tank in the future). Just be sure the outflow from the filter doesn't create too much current in the tank. You can adjust the flow, and also use driftwood or other objects to disperse the current.

The plants in the tank will also do a lot of filtration; once the plants are well established you may not need a power filter at all.

Pickerel tend to hang out in shallow, weedy, still waters. I have caught them in willow and cypress swamps, protected bays of lakes, and water willow patches in stream eddies. Just pull a dipnet or seine through the area, pick through the weeds, and eventually you'll come up with a pickerel or two. You can also buy captive-raised pickerel from Brian Zimmerman right here on the forum: http://forum.nanfa.o...vailable-2010/.

hey fellow mass member! may i recommend a redfin instead? we dont have grass pickerels around here. but we do have redfin pickerel!

Three feet should be OK, just keep the 18" width. A standard 65 gallon would be great, 40 breeder would work too. I strongly suggest you do not keep pickerel with any tankmates (unless you get a much larger tank). Pickerel will try to eat any fish smaller than themselves, and will be annoyed or stressed by any fish they cannot eat. They also don't compete for food well with active gobblers such as sunfish.

The more plants, driftwood, etc. you add, the happier the pickerel will be (as long as he can still move!). Any plant species are fine as long as there are stems or roots in the water column so he will feel hidden. Substrate and lighting don't matter too much to the fish, pick something that will work for the plants you want. Very bright light may stress the pickerel. Moderate or low light and a dark substrate and background tend to bring out the fish's pattern.

You didn't mention food, but wild-caught pickerel will probably only take live feeders for a while. I suggest you use invertebrates as much as possible to avoid disease or parasite transmission (I lost my last pickerel to an infection from contaminated rosy reds). Shrimp, crayfish, insects, and earthworms will all be accepted. Smaller pickerel will also eat micro- and mesocrustaceans, blackworms, bloodworms, etc. I'm told it is possible to train pickerel onto prepared foods, but I did not succeed with mine.

Any decent filter will work. I'm partial to Aquaclear hang-on-back filters myself; an AC 50 would probably be sufficient but you can't go wrong with an AC 110 (especially if you decide to upgrade the tank in the future). Just be sure the outflow from the filter doesn't create too much current in the tank. You can adjust the flow, and also use driftwood or other objects to disperse the current.

The plants in the tank will also do a lot of filtration; once the plants are well established you may not need a power filter at all.

Pickerel tend to hang out in shallow, weedy, still waters. I have caught them in willow and cypress swamps, protected bays of lakes, and water willow patches in stream eddies. Just pull a dipnet or seine through the area, pick through the weeds, and eventually you'll come up with a pickerel or two. You can also buy captive-raised pickerel from Brian Zimmerman right here on the forum: http://forum.nanfa.o...vailable-2010/.

newt has covered all this fish needs.
all i can add is DO NOT over feed them my last 2 are gone now due to this.
and they will eat all fish that they can, and some you would never think!!!
this fish is small but a fierce apex predator for sure.

Thanks guys! I hope I can get the tank! (my mom isnt a big "pet" fan). Would it be OK to Make my own driftwood and rock background? i want the fish to be as happy as possible!

Thanks guys! I hope I can get the tank! (my mom isnt a big "pet" fan). Would it be OK to Make my own driftwood and rock background? i want the fish to be as happy as possible!

seems like you are a ways off before you get a fish!! i would say just get the tank....some sandy substrate....some established filter media and some plants. you dont need to make your own backround...what size fish do you plan on getting? and where did you plan on getting one?

Yeah, you're probably right. And i plan on getting a redfin pickerel, and those grow to about 7-10 inches i hear. i think i will collect one when its small from a local pond or lake.

Your pickerel may only reach 7-10", but then again it may grow to well over a foot. If you get a tank suitable for a big pickerel, you won't have to worry about rehoming the fish if it grows large.

If it turns out you can't get a big enough tank for the pickerel, or just decide to keep a somewhat more sociable fish, consider mudminnows (Umbra species). Despite their name, they are more closely related to pikes and pickerels than to true minnows and are like miniature pickerel in shape, color, and habits. I believe at least one species occurs in New England; perhaps one of our Yankee members can tell you here to find them.

Your pickerel may only reach 7-10", but then again it may grow to well over a foot. If you get a tank suitable for a big pickerel, you won't have to worry about rehoming the fish if it grows large.

If it turns out you can't get a big enough tank for the pickerel, or just decide to keep a somewhat more sociable fish, consider mudminnows (Umbra species). Despite their name, they are more closely related to pikes and pickerels than to true minnows and are like miniature pickerel in shape, color, and habits. I believe at least one species occurs in New England; perhaps one of our Yankee members can tell you here to find them.

I agree. They are quite common in NY. But I know one spot in MA where they can be caught. they aren't native to MA

OK, i think i can get any tank with a 36" x 18" footprint. Where in Mass can you catch mudminnows?

OK, i think i can get any tank with a 36" x 18" footprint. Where in Mass can you catch mudminnows?

Look through my threads. You can see all my trips I've done. U can see pics of all the fish I've caught that our state has. Have u seen darters yet? What made you want to get a predator? There are some other awesome species to get

Well, i live on a pond and have always been interested in its life. last year i had one of those little 2 gallon setups that my family had tears ago. Me and my sister went to an area with a sandy bottom and there was several thousand little minnows (no idea what kind) and we managed to catch two with our little butterfly nets. lol. we plopped them in the tank and they lived far into the fall. over the course of the summer i had collected many fry. bass, sunfish, a pickerel, and even a baby turtle. we didn't put the turtle in the tank. at one time we had about 20 ( way overstocked, but, hey, i dint know then) little fish swimming around. the minnows didn't do much (now i think they were some type of darter) so i'm looking for something a little more exciting.

What type of habitat did you get your bullhead in, bumpylemon?

Edited by MassNativeTank11, 02 June 2010 - 05:26 PM.

What type of habitat did you get the bullhead in, bumpylemon?

you can get the bullheads ANYWHERE! literally everywhere. i do catch some nice banded sunfish in your area though! i love the banded sunfish. this saturday im going out collecting...somewhere. havent decided yet

you can get the bullheads ANYWHERE! literally everywhere. i do catch some nice banded sunfish in your area though! i love the banded sunfish. this saturday im going out collecting...somewhere. havent decided yet

Cool! i might try to catch one just for fun! haha! i dont know about the pond i live on though.... There's sunfish, A LOT OF SUNFISH! And they come in all sizes from fry to full grown! One problem, i think they have taken over the pond. It contains bass and pickerel but nothing over 1.5 feet long. =/ i have gone out fishing for 3 hours and caugt nothing. i can stand on the shore and see bass and a pickerel but nothing ever bites...