Great site and info! Wondering what you guys recommend for bluegills in a 55 gallon? How many (if any) is a safe number to keep. Thanks in advance!
55 gallon bluegill tank?
Started by
Guest_CaptDave_*
, Dec 12 2010 11:29 PM
13 replies to this topic
#3
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 13 December 2010 - 11:08 AM
He already said bluegill... bluegill is a species (Lepomis macrochirus)... some folks do use it to mean all sunfish, but I am assuming that CaptDave knows what he means.Yes you can but how many will depend on what species your interested in.
Bluegill are rather big, and as they grow up you will be limited to only a handful in a tank... unless one of the big males decideds to take over, then you maybe in a 'highlander' situation... there can be only one!
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#4
Guest_exasperatus2002_*
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Posted 13 December 2010 - 01:06 PM
He already said bluegill... bluegill is a species (Lepomis macrochirus)... some folks do use it to mean all sunfish, but I am assuming that CaptDave knows what he means.
Bluegill are rather big, and as they grow up you will be limited to only a handful in a tank... unless one of the big males decideds to take over, then you maybe in a 'highlander' situation... there can be only one!
Sorry in my area bluegill is often used as a generic substitute for "panfish" where we're used to using them for bait then for pets. I am more into dace, darters and pygmy sunfish for natives.
#5
Guest_CaptDave_*
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Posted 13 December 2010 - 09:08 PM
agreed that people do use "bluegill" interchangably with "sunfish" but i really do mean bluegill speciesSorry in my area bluegill is often used as a generic substitute for "panfish" where we're used to using them for bait then for pets. I am more into dace, darters and pygmy sunfish for natives.
.I have 3 in a 55 and experience a little aggression. I wanted to maybe overstock a little to try and curb aggression as this technique was suggested to me by a friend and long time native fish keeper. I keep vary good water quality with large weekly (if not more often) water changes and nitrates just over 20 at end of week. Tank is moderatly planted with elodea and amazon sword plants
#7
Guest_CaptDave_*
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Posted 14 December 2010 - 09:05 PM
i do have other tanks that i can put bigger fish in but the 3 i got seem to be happy in the 55. if i add maybe i should upgrade...A 55 is a little narrow for lunker-size bluegill; do you have plans for any overgrown fish?
#8
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Posted 25 December 2010 - 05:58 PM
I dont mean to bust in on this forum, but i need some help please. I have a pair of bluegills in a good sized tank, overly large filter for their poo, and plenty of cover and plants. They have eaten worms on the second day, and I have had them for 5 days and they are SCARED of me.... i think. They hide under cover in the same spot ALL day and do not move. I turned off the lights the other day and they started moving around, which was weird. They dont seem eager to eat either, they only pick the worm up after i drop it in and it floats past them. The water temp is at 60-65 constant and the water is very clean and i match lighting with natural. Why dont they do anything, and how can i gain their trust? Thanks in advance, Sofleye23
#9
Guest_Newt_*
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Posted 25 December 2010 - 06:57 PM
Just give them time. It is natural for fish to be nervous when moved someplace new and strange, and to be scared of humans (after all, you are hundreds of times their size). They will learn to associate you with food soon enough and will come beg for food whenever they see you.
#10
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Posted 25 December 2010 - 07:59 PM
Just give them time. It is natural for fish to be nervous when moved someplace new and strange, and to be scared of humans (after all, you are hundreds of times their size). They will learn to associate you with food soon enough and will come beg for food whenever they see you.
Hey, thanks. I was also wondering if removing some of the cover in the aquarium would give em a little push to be active. Or would that stress them out? should i do it?
#11
Guest_pjenkins_*
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Posted 26 December 2010 - 03:34 AM
Just as newt said give them some time to ajust to there new place. I assume the where in a much big place then where the are now. Just wait thell come around. old bart did before he died from old age. leave the cover that would make them feel safe.Hey, thanks. I was also wondering if removing some of the cover in the aquarium would give em a little push to be active. Or would that stress them out? should i do it?
#12
Guest_sofleye23_*
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Posted 26 December 2010 - 09:21 PM
Ok, cool. But I have one more question/problem. I keep them (the tank) in my garage (outdoors) the weather is getting really cold. I went out to check the temp in the tank and it is in the low 50's. Now that i have found a place in my house, i would like to bring them inside. But I am wondering if the change in temps will shock them and kill them. Can I bring them in? If not, what can i do? Thanks in advanceJust as newt said give them some time to ajust to there new place. I assume the where in a much big place then where the are now. Just wait thell come around. old bart did before he died from old age. leave the cover that would make them feel safe.
#13
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 27 December 2010 - 12:51 PM
Ok, cool. But I have one more question/problem. I keep them (the tank) in my garage (outdoors) the weather is getting really cold. I went out to check the temp in the tank and it is in the low 50's. Now that i have found a place in my house, i would like to bring them inside. But I am wondering if the change in temps will shock them and kill them. Can I bring them in? If not, what can i do? Thanks in advance
Its good that you are thinking about temperature acclimation. And yes, if you bring them inside and put them in room temperature water right away it will stress them (and depending on their size this stress could be fatal).
You can of course leave them in the garage, I mean they are used to cold water temps in the wild right? (I had pumpkinseeds live in an outdoor pond under a couple inches of ice) So I don't think garage temps are going to hurt them. But if you want to bring them in, I suggest that you could do so if you just use the same water. Don't know what you mean by 'a good sized tank' but what if you followed a process like this... drain 20 gallons or so from your tank into a new, clean container (I have used 35 gallon plastic trash cans for this in the past, but an alternate aquarium would also obviously work). Net out your fish and put them in there. Drain out 'the rest of the water' into several other clean containers. Leave all of this in the garage (where it is still cold). Move the tank inside. Move all the cold water back into the tank (yes this takes a lot of work, but hey you are doing it for the fish). Move the last 20 gallons and the fish into the tank.
If you do this all at one time, which is the point, you will have a very cold aquarium in your house. It may even fog up. But again, who cares in the short run. Eventually the laws of thermodynamics will slowly convert your tank from garage temperature to room temperature. And the fish will be fine.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#14
Guest_sofleye23_*
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Posted 27 December 2010 - 02:21 PM
Its good that you are thinking about temperature acclimation. And yes, if you bring them inside and put them in room temperature water right away it will stress them (and depending on their size this stress could be fatal).
You can of course leave them in the garage, I mean they are used to cold water temps in the wild right? (I had pumpkinseeds live in an outdoor pond under a couple inches of ice) So I don't think garage temps are going to hurt them. But if you want to bring them in, I suggest that you could do so if you just use the same water. Don't know what you mean by 'a good sized tank' but what if you followed a process like this... drain 20 gallons or so from your tank into a new, clean container (I have used 35 gallon plastic trash cans for this in the past, but an alternate aquarium would also obviously work). Net out your fish and put them in there. Drain out 'the rest of the water' into several other clean containers. Leave all of this in the garage (where it is still cold). Move the tank inside. Move all the cold water back into the tank (yes this takes a lot of work, but hey you are doing it for the fish). Move the last 20 gallons and the fish into the tank.
If you do this all at one time, which is the point, you will have a very cold aquarium in your house. It may even fog up. But again, who cares in the short run. Eventually the laws of thermodynamics will slowly convert your tank from garage temperature to room temperature. And the fish will be fine.
Ok thanks for all the info. I was originally planning ( and going to) get a friend to help me bring the whole tank and setup inside. I just wanted to make sure because the tank weighs a ton! thanks again
Tye
Edited by sofleye23, 27 December 2010 - 02:23 PM.
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