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Any chance of him allowing a tankmate? (bluegill)

Started by Guest_Aireal_* , Mar 25 2014 12:59 PM

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56 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Aireal_*

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Posted 25 March 2014 - 12:59 PM

Hello all. I am new and I have a bluegill I inherited a few months ago. My sister’s boyfriend caught him and put him in a 10 gallon were he stayed for 2 years before I got him. I have since placed him in a 55 gallon were he quickly doubled in size. The thing is he seems bored when I don't have feeders in there for him to hunt but I think he might just kill any other fish. I'd love to have some sort of tank mate in there with him but don't know what he wouldn't kill and that wouldn't hurt him? I had a plecco for a short time and that was fine but he made maintained way to hard and threw my water levels off making the bluegill sick despite 2X weekly water changes so he went back to the store. BAMF (my bluegill) is about 5-6 inches now and I wondered other options on adding a tank mate and if so what type of fish? Below is a picture of by boy. Look forward to getting to know everyone here.

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#2 Guest_Subrosa_*

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Posted 25 March 2014 - 01:06 PM

As a single addition, a Bullhead or Madtom would likely work, because if it can and has to it will hide all day while the Bluegill is active and do its thing at night. A school of minnows large enough to not get eaten would be more interesting imo.

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#3 Guest_FirstChAoS_*

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Posted 25 March 2014 - 01:08 PM

As a single addition, a Bullhead or Madtom would likely work, because if it can and has to it will hide all day while the Bluegill is active and do its thing at night. A school of minnows large enough to not get eaten would be more interesting imo.

In my experience, lepomis bully what they cannot eat. Bullheads were the one exception. They don't mess with them. I am not sure why.

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#4 Guest_Erica Lyons_*

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Posted 25 March 2014 - 01:12 PM

That's a pretty fish. The bluegill in my area are more drab.

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#5 Guest_Dustin_*

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Posted 25 March 2014 - 01:15 PM

That's a pretty fish. The bluegill in my area are more drab.

That's because it is not a bluegill. Looks like a possible hybrid "Green-gill".

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#6 Guest_Aireal_*

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Posted 25 March 2014 - 02:04 PM

That's because it is not a bluegill. Looks like a possible hybrid "Green-gill".

Really? ok that's intresting I was told by several it was a bluegill. I did have a brown bullhead catfish in there hiding but i feared for him as he was so small so I gave him to my roomate.

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#7 Guest_Aireal_*

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Posted 25 March 2014 - 02:05 PM

That's a pretty fish. The bluegill in my area are more drab.

Thank you, his colors came out great once he was in the 55 on proper food. Bluegill or otherwise I am pretty fond of him.

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#8 Guest_Subrosa_*

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Posted 25 March 2014 - 02:19 PM

Yeah, the white edges on the anal and pelvic fins are classic Green Sunfish. Looking closely I wonder about the other parent. Nothing really screams "Bluegill" in his markings. Does he have a large dark spot at the back of his dorsal? That's the classic tell for a Bluegill. Can't tell from the pic.

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#9 Guest_Aireal_*

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Posted 25 March 2014 - 03:10 PM

Yeah, the white edges on the anal and pelvic fins are classic Green Sunfish. Looking closely I wonder about the other parent. Nothing really screams "Bluegill" in his markings. Does he have a large dark spot at the back of his dorsal? That's the classic tell for a Bluegill. Can't tell from the pic.

truthfully I am not certain. I will look tonight and try to post more pictures.

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#10 Guest_Gavinswildlife_*

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Posted 25 March 2014 - 04:16 PM

The body shape looks like a bluegill, the colors are distinctly green sunfish. The colors on the gill flap look like punkinseed.

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#11 Guest_Aireal_*

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Posted 25 March 2014 - 09:35 PM

OK well cool. It wasn't what I was asking for but learned something new about my boy. Awesome!!! Thanks for the replies!

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#12 Guest_gzeiger_*

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Posted 26 March 2014 - 07:46 AM

Most fishermen don't really bother to distinguish sunfish species. If it has that general body shape, it's "bluegill" or just "bream."

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#13 Guest_Aireal_*

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Posted 26 March 2014 - 12:36 PM

Yes that is true. I mean if I was just fishing I don't think I would care much besides is it edible or not. Lol. But since I have made the commitment to keep him and want to do so the best way possible for him now I am learning a lot of new stuff about the fish I had only considered good eating before. :biggrin:

Most fishermen don't really bother to distinguish sunfish species. If it has that general body shape, it's "bluegill" or just "bream."

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#14 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 26 March 2014 - 01:21 PM

You will likely have some problems with aggression if you add additional Lepomis. Might be able to add bullhead catfish. I am sure there are some other species that would work.

I initially thought greengill, but as pointed out, that opercular tab looks short for a greengill, and a bit pumpkinseedish. The body also seems a bit more streamlined than most greengills that I have seen.

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#15 littlen

NANFA Member

Washington, D.C.

Posted 26 March 2014 - 02:03 PM

Matt--do you think that depending on the sex of the parents when hybridization occurs, that the offspring look more like one over the other? Such as male Bluegill x female Green, or, male Green x female Bluegill?

Sometimes my brain catches on fire when I net a hybrid and try to identify it. Usually I dump it right back in the lake while muttering the words, "we never saw each other".

Nick L.

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#16 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 26 March 2014 - 02:17 PM

Nick, I surely do think that that is the case. That is largely why I hesitate to go any farther than stating what I can observe. Occam's razor makes it a greengill. It is the most heavily stocked hybrid out there. If it were not for that bit of red on the tab that Gavin pointed out, I would have surely gone with the default guess.

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#17 Guest_Aireal_*

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Posted 26 March 2014 - 04:36 PM

Thanks, well Guess I was wrong to give up my bullhead catfish. Can't get him back now my roommate is attached. Also question he/she/it has been acting a little odd lately not as personable when I come in the room more likely to swim away rather than rush up to the side of the tank like he used to and is digging up the gravel. He has been kind of spinning in this one spot making it bare of gravel (this is randomly in the middle of the tank not near any of the caves or drift wood). I gave him a nest like place that he really likes but was curious as to this behavior. He has no tank mates so I wouldn’t think it would be a breeding thing. He will also occasionally rub on the back of the tank or on the driftwood. Is this normal? Sorry for all the nub questions, before this fish I never had a desire to have any fish now I randomly have 6 tanks in the house in a matter of months. Lol