How many bluegill?

How many bluegill would be comfortable in a 55 gallon aquarium. It is not a problem for me to obtain very tiny bluegill as there is a pond right behind my house.

I recommend 6-10 very small bluegill. Tank will appear almost barren for a month or so but thet changes fast. They will adapt rapidly and will require minimal culling as they grow so as to keep biomass (total weight) of bluegill within the tanks carrying capacity. You will be able to observe shoaling behavior as well as territoriality associated with feeding. Interesting short term color changes can also be expected. If they grow well, then you may be able to observe differences between sexes and possibly reproduction as well. Have plans to deal with culled animals, like eat them. Dealing with extras needs to be thought out. Also with time they can reach 12 inches, sometimes more in a 55-gal aquarium which is when only one can be housed based on ideal water quality and it might have difficulty turning around without rubbing its fins.

What kind of filtration do you have? A small number of small fish will make a minimal demand but rapid growth can be expected.

I have one HOB made to filter 60 and on the other side one HOB to filter 20. With the sand I have as a substrate, I typically have to unplug the smaller one during water changes to allow the sediment to settle. And how small is very small?

Small is small as you can get and keep them alive, possibly 1 inch if caught now. Be prepared to feed initially with something like frozen bloodworms. Do you own the pond?

The filtration appears more than adequate.

Do you have experience bringing fish indoors that have been collected in winter, possibly from under ice?

Edited by centrarchid, 24 December 2009 - 04:28 AM.

Small is small as you can get and keep them alive, possibly 1 inch if caught now. Be prepared to feed initially with something like frozen bloodworms. Do you own the pond?

The filtration appears more than adequate.

Do you have experience bringing fish indoors that have been collected in winter, possibly from under ice?

I don't own the pond its on public property but it gets very little pressure in the summer and none in the winter. Were you thinking of testing the water?

And I have no experience, any recommendations?

I don't own the pond its on public property but it gets very little pressure in the summer and none in the winter. Were you thinking of testing the water?

And I have no experience, any recommendations?

No water quality measures.

I recommend starting with a small group of small bluegill.

An option for getting your small bluegill is from under the ice, assuming it is not already too thick. Can they be taken legally in Colorado?

No water quality measures.

I recommend starting with a small group of small bluegill.

An option for getting your small bluegill is from under the ice, assuming it is not already too thick. Can they be taken legally in Colorado?

Yes, you can get bluegill through the ice legally, however I don't think I'd go out on the ice on that pond, too risky. How do you measure water quality?

Water quality test kits. Do a search, several threads discuss merits of various kits used for aquariums. Kits I have experience with not appropriate for home aquarium use unless you have high value animals or need to measure water quality daily. Regardless, the nitrogen cycle variables your need to track are ammonia, nitrite, and possible nitrate. Tracking pH, hardness and alkalinity also of interest. Hopefully you will not be pushing your system hard enough for oxygen to become a problem, just keep it aerated.

My technique for acquiring bluegill from under ice does not require you or more importantly me getting on ice (I am a biggin). Just chip a 3 feet x 3 feet hole at the pond edge were plants or sticks are abundant using an ax, then dip several times using an aquarium dip net. Does not hurt to have someone around to make certain nothing bad happens that goes undocumented. If ice thicker than 1.5 inches, then wait until it thins out.

What part of Colorado are you in?

I'm in North Colorado Springs. In Colorado your hole can only be a maximum of 10 inches in diameter, so I will wait til softwater.

Off track but actually on. How do you water livestock through 10" hole? I used get my fish from waters that are used to water cattle and horses and that are not suitable for ice-fishing.

Off track but actually on. How do you water livestock through 10" hole? I used get my fish from waters that are used to water cattle and horses and that are not suitable for ice-fishing.

This particular pond is not used for watering livestock, just a natural pond along a creek that runs through an open-space. Would it be all that bad to catch them on rod and line with a barbless hook and the transfer them to the home aquaria?

It can be done. The warm up phase, if they are taken when water cold may need to be extended to reduce speed of temperature change. Do you have an inclosed front or back porch? You will need a location with temperature intermediate between pond (~ 34 F) and aquarium to recieve them. During acclimation care must be taken to avoid beating fish up with too much aeration. Use of salt also advised.

It can be done. The warm up phase, if they are taken when water cold may need to be extended to reduce speed of temperature change. Do you have an inclosed front or back porch? You will need a location with temperature intermediate between pond (~ 34 F) and aquarium to recieve them. During acclimation care must be taken to avoid beating fish up with too much aeration. Use of salt also advised.

As it stands, my ambient aquarium temperature is 58 degrees Fahrenheit. So I will test the water temperature and quality of the fishes natural environment. How long would you recommend letting them sit in the patio for? What sort of vessel should the be in while they are acclimatising and how should they be transported? I will be back with a full report on conditions, sorry there are so many questions, I am new at this as I said.

To acclimate, use either a cooler or 5-gallon bucket filled half full with water from where ever you collect the bluegill. This is your acclimation tank. The size of the fish you collect will determine how many should be attempted. How long will they be?

When I subject fish to a major temperature change, the general rule of thumb is never have a change greater than 2 degrees Celcius per hour or 10 degrees Celcius in 24 hour period. To play it safe, 2 days in the patio if it is above freezing yet below the temperature of your aquarium. Then place your acclimation tank next to the aquarium for another day. During the temperature acclimation process a little aeration is OK, do not over aerate, especially when temperature is low. Cold fish have little endurance and will get beaten up if water movement excessive.


Once temperatures are same then slowly add water from receiving tank to the acclimation tank which slowly changes water chemistry to that of the receiving tank. I like to siphon water from receiving tank using the same airline tubing connected to your diffuser. As acclimation tank fills, transfer some of that water up to the receiving tank. You can control flow through siphon by changing its length or the amount of head. You can also transfer water using a cup or jar but go slowly. A couple hours to change over the entire volume in the acclimation tank is fine.


Avoid handling fish with nets. I recommend moving the fish in jar with water.

Getting the fish on feed and feeding up will be your next challenge.

To acclimate, use either a cooler or 5-gallon bucket filled half full with water from where ever you collect the bluegill. This is your acclimation tank. The size of the fish you collect will determine how many should be attempted. How long will they be?

When I subject fish to a major temperature change, the general rule of thumb is never have a change greater than 2 degrees Celcius per hour or 10 degrees Celcius in 24 hour period. To play it safe, 2 days in the patio if it is above freezing yet below the temperature of your aquarium. Then place your acclimation tank next to the aquarium for another day. During the temperature acclimation process a little aeration is OK, do not over aerate, especially when temperature is low. Cold fish have little endurance and will get beaten up if water movement excessive.


Once temperatures are same then slowly add water from receiving tank to the acclimation tank which slowly changes water chemistry to that of the receiving tank. I like to siphon water from receiving tank using the same airline tubing connected to your diffuser. As acclimation tank fills, transfer some of that water up to the receiving tank. You can control flow through siphon by changing its length or the amount of head. You can also transfer water using a cup or jar but go slowly. A couple hours to change over the entire volume in the acclimation tank is fine.


Avoid handling fish with nets. I recommend moving the fish in jar with water.

Getting the fish on feed and feeding up will be your next challenge.

Any reccomendations on how to get them eating? And what are some good things to feed. I have access to minnows, flake, pellet, and worms. I could just put a few small minnow in the tank with them?

Any reccomendations on how to get them eating? And what are some good things to feed. I have access to minnows, flake, pellet, and worms. I could just put a few small minnow in the tank with them?

How big are the fish you plan to work with?

How big are the fish you plan to work with?

I think the smallest I will be able to get at are 2-3 inches.

I think the smallest I will be able to get at are 2-3 inches.

Do not try to acclimate more than four 2-3" bluegill in a 5-gal bucket. If you use a cooler with roughly twice the surface area, then fout to eight fish. Do not start feeding until fish placed in aquarium.

This will be a stressfull time for you fish, so watch for eroding fins, reddening around the mouth, and ich.

I like to use frozen blood worms to get the appetite up and get the fish to associate you with food. Do not over feed, you want them always hungry. Crushed live crickets also relished.

Stay away from minnows as a feed for small bluegill.

After a week or so offer your flaked or pelleted feeds, again do not over feed. At some point your fish will become very agressive for food, then start bumping up the volume so they start to get bellies. In my experince the fish will not feed consistently until they adapt to the rich dried feed, then they will feed like gang busters.

Do you have a pellet / flake trained fish you can mix in with the new bluegill? It can speed up taming / training process with bluegill.

Do not try to acclimate more than four 2-3" bluegill in a 5-gal bucket. If you use a cooler with roughly twice the surface area, then fout to eight fish. Do not start feeding until fish placed in aquarium.

This will be a stressfull time for you fish, so watch for eroding fins, reddening around the mouth, and ich.

I like to use frozen blood worms to get the appetite up and get the fish to associate you with food. Do not over feed, you want them always hungry. Crushed live crickets also relished.

Stay away from minnows as a feed for small bluegill.

After a week or so offer your flaked or pelleted feeds, again do not over feed. At some point your fish will become very agressive for food, then start bumping up the volume so they start to get bellies. In my experince the fish will not feed consistently until they adapt to the rich dried feed, then they will feed like gang busters.

Do you have a pellet / flake trained fish you can mix in with the new bluegill? It can speed up taming / training process with bluegill.

I don't have anything but small tropicals. In general, do they prefer their foo to be sinking or floating, or does it matter? Could I mix umpkinseed and bluegill or do one or the other?

Generally, sunfishes of the genus Lepomis will readily adapt to most foods that other fishes will consume. In nature they are omniverous. Some sunfishes will learn to eat sinking foods more rapidly but virtually all will eventually learn to take floating foods.

Mixing pumpkinseed with bluegill shold not be a problem. Care requirments very similar in most respects excepting for size they readily reach in a 55-gal aquarium and agression when males get fired up for reproduction. Bluegill get larger and male pumpkinseed will more readily consider the entire volume as their territory.