Hey guys i have a 55 gallon tank and i have 3 bala sharks 4-5 inches each. I also have a few other small fish, i wanted to know if Balla Sharks are a ok tank mate for grass pickerel.
-Alejandro
Grass Pickerel Tank Mates / Water Temp
Started by
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, Jul 15 2011 02:52 AM
20 replies to this topic
#2
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 15 July 2011 - 08:49 AM
Hey guys i have a 55 gallon tank and i have 3 bala sharks 4-5 inches each. I also have a few other small fish, i wanted to know if Balla Sharks are a ok tank mate for grass pickerel.
-Alejandro
Fish smaller than pickerel are not tank mates for pickerel, they are live food...
And non-natives are their favorite food.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#3
Guest_EricaWieser_*
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Posted 15 July 2011 - 12:53 PM
The bala shark grows to a maximum size of 12 inches, right? And the grass pickerel has a maximum size of 16 inches, I think? The pickerel, being very predatory in nature, might take advantage of that four inch difference to eat the bala shark. They've been known to eat fish their own size.
#5
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Posted 15 July 2011 - 06:10 PM
Sure, no problem. There are many different species of fish native to Texas. Don't get discouraged just because a grass pickerel might not be the best match. Here is a list of fish you might see in your area:
List 1: http://www.tpwd.stat...es/inland.phtml
List 2: http://www.bio.txsta...onner/txfishes/
List 1: http://www.tpwd.stat...es/inland.phtml
List 2: http://www.bio.txsta...onner/txfishes/
#7
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Posted 15 July 2011 - 10:17 PM
Well, the rock bass (http://www.bio.txsta...s rupestris.htm ) maxes out at around a foot. I don't know anything about them, though.
Have you heard that bala sharks like to be kept together in groups of five or more? I would think a group that large would quite fill your 55 gallon tank. Maybe you'd want to set up a new tank for some native fish?
Have you heard that bala sharks like to be kept together in groups of five or more? I would think a group that large would quite fill your 55 gallon tank. Maybe you'd want to set up a new tank for some native fish?
Source: http://www.aquaticco...h/balashark.phpIt is recommended to keep a group of at least five individuals. Several Bala sharks will stay together and feel much safer in the aquarium. A single Bala shark can become stressed and nervous and hide a lot.
Edited by EricaWieser, 15 July 2011 - 10:18 PM.
#8
Guest_Alexa1497_*
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Posted 15 July 2011 - 10:22 PM
ok i will look into the rock bass! and my good friend has a 55 gallon tank with no fish, he asked if i wanted to get rid of some fish or all. so know im going to have an empty tank, im re thinking the pickerel and now the bass.
Edited by Alexa1497, 15 July 2011 - 10:33 PM.
#9
Guest_EricaWieser_*
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Posted 15 July 2011 - 10:42 PM
Good luck with your new tank! Getting a new aquarium is a lot of fun. Don't be afraid to check out the link I gave you earlier: http://www.bio.txsta...onner/txfishes/ It's got pictures of most fish if you click on their names, and can organize fish by the river they're found in if you use this part of it: http://www.bio.txsta...s/Guadalupe.htm
That way you can find fish that are local
This will help you find a fishing license dealer near you: http://www.tpwd.stat...nts/index.phtml
That way you can find fish that are local
This will help you find a fishing license dealer near you: http://www.tpwd.stat...nts/index.phtml
Edited by EricaWieser, 15 July 2011 - 10:42 PM.
#10
Guest_Yeahson421_*
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Posted 16 July 2011 - 10:39 AM
A 55 gallon is too small for a 12 inch fish. 55 gallons are a skinnier build meant for many small fish rather than a few big ones. The depth of the tank should be at least 1.5 times deeper than the length of the fish. An adult Rock Bass or Bala shark would have a hard time just turning around.
#11
Guest_EricaWieser_*
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Posted 16 July 2011 - 10:53 AM
I agree. Smaller fish do better in 55's.A 55 gallon is too small for a 12 inch fish. 55 gallons are a skinnier build meant for many small fish rather than a few big ones. The depth of the tank should be at least 1.5 times deeper than the length of the fish. An adult Rock Bass or Bala shark would have a hard time just turning around.
If you're looking for that predatory nature that bass and pickerel get but without the size, try sunfish. They'll go crazy if you drop live worms in the tank, and are super fast when they snatch up their food. If you want to watch something eat viciously, sunfish do that.
My dad had a pond full of what I think now was either bluegill or green sunfish that shared the pond with goldfish. The sunfish always got the food before the other fish could get to it because they were so much faster than the goldfish. The pellets would hit the surface and Pow! the sunfish would be on them. The goldfish had get what was left, slow and plodding as they were.
One time we dropped a betta in the tank without remembering the sunfish were in there. It got eaten before you could count to three, the sunfish were on it so fast. Gulp, and gone in a single bite. Whoops.
You can find out which ones are near you and stay small with this list: http://www.bio.txsta...onner/txfishes/
Dollar sunfish seem to max out at 4 inches but are super aggressive. I don't know much about them: http://www.bio.txsta... marginatus.htm
A 4 inch fish would be a better fish in a 55 gallon tank.
Edited by EricaWieser, 16 July 2011 - 10:59 AM.
#12
Guest_Alexa1497_*
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Posted 17 July 2011 - 03:52 AM
Hey guys, i wanted to know what the water temp needs to be for the grass pickerel to feel comfortable. I hear if its to warm the protective slime on the fish will go away, and they will get sick. My tank stays arounf 75-80 but i can get it cooler if i wanted. So if any one knows that would be great!
-Alejandro
-Alejandro
#13
Michael Wolfe
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- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 17 July 2011 - 08:04 AM
Hey guys, i wanted to know what the water temp needs to be for the grass pickerel to feel comfortable. I hear if its to warm the protective slime on the fish will go away, and they will get sick. My tank stays arounf 75-80 but i can get it cooler if i wanted. So if any one knows that would be great!
-Alejandro
Most of our native fishes prefer cooler temperatures but can adapt to room temps... I see you are in Dallas, and even your room temps are likely to be high this time of year (mine are also in Georgia). If you have a heater, turn it off... if you have other heat generators in the tank (powerheads, etc.) turn them off too (your Esox does not need much current). Keep the sun from shining directly on your tank. Decrease the time your lights are on. Add an air stone. And as a last resort, crank down the AC.
But seriously, they will be fin in 70-75 so you are only running a little high. If you can do any of the things above and get it a few degrees lower, you should not have a problem with temp.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#16
Guest_Skipjack_*
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Posted 17 July 2011 - 09:43 PM
Yeah, but what is the surface area to gallonage ratio? Makes a big difference in dissolved oxygen. A warm stream is very different than a warm tank.I've caught pickerel in waters that reach 89 degrees for at least several weeks over the summer. Your tank is not too warm.
#17
Guest_Alexa1497_*
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Posted 17 July 2011 - 10:03 PM
so what should i keep it at? i have a very large air stone, so its good on airYeah, but what is the surface area to gallonage ratio? Makes a big difference in dissolved oxygen. A warm stream is very different than a warm tank.
#18
Guest_Skipjack_*
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Posted 17 July 2011 - 10:03 PM
Erica, I suspect that you have kept quite a few Pickerel. My personal experience is different than the OP's info. I find that the pickerel that I have grown in tanks surpass the average wild pickerel. There is the odd pickerel that they are talking about that does grow to 14 inches, but don't count on it. There are many up in northern Ohio, what was your experience?
Tankmates.Crappie is my number 1 choice. Gar would be my #2. Gar, crappie, and pickerel are sight feeders that are not the easiest fish to get on frozen foods, though it can be done with a bit of work. They are all docile, and whether you are feeding live food, or have trained them to frozen, they will not really out compete each other. You may question gar, but they stunt like hell in a tank. I had longnose, spotted, and florida in a 240 for 3 years, and they stopped growing at about 14 inches, or at least slowed to crawl.
Tankmates.Crappie is my number 1 choice. Gar would be my #2. Gar, crappie, and pickerel are sight feeders that are not the easiest fish to get on frozen foods, though it can be done with a bit of work. They are all docile, and whether you are feeding live food, or have trained them to frozen, they will not really out compete each other. You may question gar, but they stunt like hell in a tank. I had longnose, spotted, and florida in a 240 for 3 years, and they stopped growing at about 14 inches, or at least slowed to crawl.
Edited by Skipjack, 17 July 2011 - 10:05 PM.
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