9 replies to this topic

[TheNonEuclidean]

I currently have a redfin pickerel (4") in a tank with shiners and bluespotted sunfish (currently 2.5"). It has been devouring the shiners, of course, and I had been planning on giving it away but I am loving watching its hunting behavior. With the sunfishes body shape will they be safe, or is it only a matter of time?

[Michmass]

Good luck but the clock is ticking...

[Fleendar the Magnificent]

The pickerel will be picking it's teeth with bluespot sunfish bones. It's not a question of if, but when.

[TheNonEuclidean]

Exactly the answer I was expecting. Shame...

[Fleendar the Magnificent]

Unfortunately, some fish just cannot be kept together, I love green sunfish, Northern Longears and P-seeds, but they just cannot be kept together unless you have an incredibly *large* tank so they have plenty of territory to call their own. The pickerel though, I don't think tank size matters unless it's huge and you kept plenty of small bait fish in their to keep him sated. Even then, once he got big he'd still try for the sunfish.

[Matt DeLaVega]

One of the many really interesting things about pickerel is that they are not aggressive at all, other than prey drive. Lepomis that won't fit down the gullet can terrorize a pickerel. They don't seem big on defensive tactics. The best tank mates I have found are gar, followed by crappie and yellow perch. They eat the same diet, are mild mannered and are an appropriate size. Anyway, I would generally agree that the BSS are likely to be eaten. On the other hand, full grown BSS might be just gentle enough and large/deep enough to coexist with all but the largest redfin pickerel. Wouldn't try it unless gloriosus were easy to come by. Orange spotted sunfish might work too. Sorry for the ramblings. good luck!

[Fleendar the Magnificent]

Who would have ever thought that GAR would be mild mannered....

[TheNonEuclidean]

The good news is all the fish have come out of my local river. Both BSS and pickerel are growing, the pickerel much faster... I will separate them before too long but might catch another once the blue spots are full grown. I love the schooling behavior that my shiners exhibit within just 5 minutes of introducing a predator.

[Matt DeLaVega]

Chris- Yeah, Gar are perfect neighbors (unless you can fit in their mouth) despite their reputation and appearance. If I were making a list of 10 essential North American aquarium fish, gar and pickerel would probably make the cut.

 

Euclid- Heck yeah, if you have easy access and are not burning money, experiment and let us know. How big are the largest redfin's in your area? The one that I kept stayed relatively small compared to the grass pickerel I have kept. The redfin maxed out less than 10 inches.

 

 I think with management that you might be able to keep a group of cyprinella or other fast swimming shiners around for a while if you keep the tank stocked with dopey fatheads. Store bought fatheads are the dopiest? Most dopey? I would count on losing a few of the shiners along the way, but the fatheads should take the bulk of the predation. This could be fun to try.

 

Also, if you haven't read about it yet, many have had success training pickerel to eat frozen food on the drop. They usually only take a previously frozen minnow or shrimp as it is falling, once it hit's bottom it might as well be a rock. With a bit of work and patience, the pickerel will start anticipating the food drop and snatch it up the moment it hits the water. I have had them come head and shoulders out of the water to snag a shrimp and sink a tooth in my finger. Anyway this could be another useful tool to keep pickerel in line. Good luck.

[TheNonEuclidean]

Catching shiners in the summer isnt a problem... 10 mins of splashing around with a dipnet and i can have dozens of them plus gambusia and topminnows, and i maintain a 10g "food" tank. Would love to get him to eat frozen silversides, but hes still skittish with me around the tank. I am all about experimentation... I'll have to post a thread here with my progress.