I need help with my bluegill
#1 Guest_bwhntr_*
Posted 22 December 2006 - 02:13 AM
#2 Guest_choupique_*
Posted 22 December 2006 - 02:34 AM
Well, I take that back, depends if you want to do more water changes. If you do, adding a few more sunfish types might help with aggression. Also having plenty of cover. Sometimes though ,nothing will help , a bully will be a bully regardless.
Largemouth normally get along pretty well with other fish they cannot eat ,versus smallmouth that in many cases seem to enjoy destroying any and all fish they can in the tank with them.
Trying two more bluegills, or other similar sized sunfish species could help. Space out that aggression. The bass might still be the dominant fish, but maybe not. I have to warn , you might end up after adding some fish having a worse bully yet in the mix.
This can really help you with the aggression thing. Look up cichlid aggression on the internet and read all the articles you can about curbing aggression in cichlids. These methods can all be adapted to sunfish/bass, and will often work well.
Odds are, that your poor water quality weakened the bluegill first, and the bass saw the opportunity. Sunfish all ugghhhh school ( I say ugh because its not the right term) well enough. The thing is, they are really all out for number one. If they can knock someone out of the pecking order all together because they are too weak to keep up, they will not hesitate. More food for them. The only time this normally doesn't happen is with really small sunfish, since the more the better the survival from predators.
Since your bluegill is more designed to slide around through thick cover than the bass, try adding some kind of cover that will help the bluegill, but hinder the bass. Gnarly driftwood, really gnarly, somthing that looks like a tumbleweed sort of. Half the tank atleast should be set up that the bluegill can slide through weeds ( plastic is fine) wood ( stay away from rocks for this, since a fleeing fish can get hurt on all but the smoothest rocks, which don't stack into formations well). After you have enough cover, feeding is important. This will put more emphasis on water changes, but happy tummies in sunfish make happier sunfish. That part takes awhile, for the sunfish to become accostomed to knowing there is always enough food. The next thing is the increasing the bluegill like fish in the tank. More fish give the bass more targets, but then he is not pounding on the same fish over and over. Or, he might give up all together. The bluegill may gain confidence with other fish around, especially if the bass doesn't make them nervous.
Kind of long there, but trying to throw out some options that have worked for me. Hope this is of some help.
#3 Guest_edbihary_*
Posted 22 December 2006 - 09:27 AM
So you're saying a fleeing fish can get injured on a rock, but not on "really gnarly" driftwood?...try adding some kind of cover... Gnarly driftwood, really gnarly, somthing that looks like a tumbleweed sort of. ...(stay away from rocks for this, since a fleeing fish can get hurt on all but the smoothest rocks, which don't stack into formations well).
#4 Guest_chad55_*
Posted 22 December 2006 - 11:12 AM
Chad
#5 Guest_hmt321_*
Posted 22 December 2006 - 11:36 AM
but remeber nothing can take the place of regular water changes, I would think you should be doing about 25% to 30% per week even with floating plants
#6 Guest_choupique_*
Posted 22 December 2006 - 11:50 AM
So you're saying a fleeing fish can get injured on a rock, but not on "really gnarly" driftwood?
That is what I am saying.
I suspect you can find some sharp wood, a saw and sandpaper can round off any potential hazards. Normally, wood in water is slippery and smooth. Fish can get scraped up on wood, but they always get scraped up on rocks when avoiding getting stuffed.
In this instance, we are working with a 75 gallon and two pretty big fish. Stacking a lot of rocks of anykind are going to eat up tank space. With wood and weeds you create some dense cover that can be used totally by the bluegill to escape the bass.
I was also talking about angular rocks you can stack up to make caves and other cover. Nice rounded rocks pose little problem, but in most tanks ( they make tanks so narrow all the time ) , you cannot stack round rocks up well enough to make suitable cover.
#7 Guest_bwhntr_*
Posted 23 December 2006 - 09:39 AM
#8 Guest_Irate Mormon_*
Posted 23 December 2006 - 12:20 PM
if they get too big, I will return them to my pond where they came from.
#9 Guest_arnoldi_*
Posted 23 December 2006 - 02:58 PM
I can safely assume that its on private property and fairly isolated from any naturally occuring fish populations. I know other members of this board will regularly put fish into small private ponds and nobody has yet appeared to have a problem with it.
#10 Guest_nativeplanter_*
Posted 23 December 2006 - 03:16 PM
#11 Guest_edbihary_*
Posted 23 December 2006 - 05:39 PM
#12 Guest_fundulus_*
Posted 23 December 2006 - 08:35 PM
We're not talking about the wild here, we're talking about a stocked, private pond....
....which is not completely unconnected to other local systems.
#13 Guest_Irate Mormon_*
Posted 23 December 2006 - 10:09 PM
nobody has yet appeared to have a problem with it.
Oops, looks like some folks have a problem with it
Seriously though, nobody is gonna come down on you - just give it some thought is all.
#14 Guest_bwhntr_*
Posted 24 December 2006 - 02:10 AM
#15 Guest_hmt321_*
Posted 24 December 2006 - 01:07 PM
#16 Guest_sandtiger_*
Posted 26 December 2006 - 02:59 PM
#17 Guest_blaze88_*
Posted 29 December 2006 - 07:59 PM
How many, what kind and how big are fish do you have?
Are all your fish effected?
What is your gallonage?
What kind of decor and gravle do you have?
What about plants?
What kind of naiborhood/county do you live in?
How old is your fish?
Whats your PH?
Nitrates?
Nitrites?
Ammonia?
Hardness?
What test kit did you use? What brand?
WHats your filter?
WHat brand?
How do you treat your replacement water?
What brand if you use dechlor?
Where do you get your tap, or creek water? (from a resavar? Aquaduct?)
What do you do for airation?
Do you live in Aurora Colorado? (serous question)
What medication, if any are you using?
A good medicine for tail rot is maracyn-two. That should come in a cardboard package that you can get at any decent aquatics store or petco, but not petsmart. for a 75 gallon you will use a little less than a bottle a day, os read the instructions and if you need to use it for two weeks, get 13 bottles. Thats the down side to this medicine.
Thats all saying your OLD medicine doesn't cure your fish. This medicine also comes with a magical diagnosis /treatment chart for fish. It is SO good that some people buy the medicine so that they can have the chart.
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