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Tank for a Grass/red fin Pickerel


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#1 Guest_Frosty_*

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Posted 28 July 2012 - 10:02 PM

What tank would be more useful for this fish, one that is more long/less deep/more rectangular, or one that is more boxy?

#2 Guest_Orangespotted_*

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Posted 28 July 2012 - 10:16 PM

What tank would be more useful for this fish, one that is more long/less deep/more rectangular, or one that is more boxy?


Knowing nothing specific to that species, I will say with 80% certainty that the long/less deep/more rectangular tank is the one you want. Generally, more surface area is desired over volume, as far as both establishing territories and surface oxygen exchange go.
Good luck with your new pickerel!

Edited by Orangespotted, 28 July 2012 - 10:17 PM.


#3 Guest_Frosty_*

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Posted 28 July 2012 - 10:29 PM

Its been some time since i raised an aggressive fish, the last one i had was an oscar, and a yellow perch that i somehow hooked (he was about 2 inches). This was years and years ago.... The perch eventually killed the oscar, however, the perch stopped eating all together and died. I assume he died from a diseased feeder fish from the pet store, so here is my question.... while i cycle and wait patiently for the ph level in my tank, i want to start to raise my own feeder fish for this pickerel, what are some suggestions of fish i can use for this that will make the process as simple and pain free as i can, yet will more than keep my fish fed?

#4 Guest_frigginchi_*

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Posted 29 July 2012 - 12:49 AM

Guppies, Mosquito Fish, Least Killies

#5 Guest_Subrosa_*

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Posted 29 July 2012 - 06:52 AM

Its been some time since i raised an aggressive fish, the last one i had was an oscar, and a yellow perch that i somehow hooked (he was about 2 inches). This was years and years ago.... The perch eventually killed the oscar, however, the perch stopped eating all together and died. I assume he died from a diseased feeder fish from the pet store, so here is my question.... while i cycle and wait patiently for the ph level in my tank, i want to start to raise my own feeder fish for this pickerel, what are some suggestions of fish i can use for this that will make the process as simple and pain free as i can, yet will more than keep my fish fed?

You definitely want to maximize square footage with a Pickerel, so a long, low, and wide tank is the way to go. But make sure it's tightly covered or your Pickerel will likely end up as fish jerky on the floor! Even though they hang motionless 90% of the time, when they move they usually mean it, and practically teleport from place to place. The large amount of room is to prevent them injuring themselves. I have a nearly 6" Grass/Redfin hybrid that was about 2.5" when I got it about 6 months ago that I currently have in a 40 breeder, 36" x 18" footprint, but a 180, 72" x 24" footprint is almost ready for it and its tankmates. Btw I have it trained on frozen Silversides. I always laugh when I hear about Pickerel eating live food only. If you can trick one into trying to eat a piece of plastic with hooks sticking out of it, why can't you trick one into eating a dead fish? What I did was let the fish go hungry for 3 or 4 days, and then carefully opened the lid of the tank. I stood back a bit so as not to spook the fish, and then threw a thawed Silverside at the surface like I'd throw a dart. It went under the surface in a straight line as if swimming and it didn't take too many tries until he was grabbing it, and once he grabs it he swallows it. I feed him this way to satiation twice a week, and his growth has been steady. The issue has now become how to get my Yellow Perch to do the same, since he tends to hide near the bottom and by the time the Silversides get there they look dead and he has no interest. I'll figure something out!

Edited by Subrosa, 29 July 2012 - 06:57 AM.


#6 Guest_Subrosa_*

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Posted 29 July 2012 - 07:14 AM

Btw I take exception to categorizing a Pickerel as an aggressive fish. They're certainly predatory though! I find them among the most peaceful of all fish, an as long as none of their tankmates fit in their mouth, or rather as long as they THINK none of them will fit! Heck even the Minnows we feed to Pickerel chase each other nipping as they go!

Edited by Subrosa, 29 July 2012 - 07:15 AM.


#7 Guest_Frosty_*

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Posted 29 July 2012 - 05:38 PM

How messy is your pickerel? My oscar and yellow perch were terrible... after much research, it seems its probably going to be more of a hassle to breed feeders, plus, i dont think the feeder fry will gro fast enough. i think if/when i get him, i will try to train him on frozen, and maybe get him real fish once in a while. I did this with my oscar and perch. it wasn't hard with them though, they ate every damn thing i threw at them, alive or dead.....

#8 Guest_gzeiger_*

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Posted 29 July 2012 - 07:34 PM

The livebearers mentioned above are too slow to sustain a pickerel without a fairly massive production operation. You can raise enough convict cichlids, though, with a 20 gallon and a ten gallon tank. You should only need a pair of adults, at $3-5 each at any pet store. Note they are very aggressive and really can't be kept with more than one pair to a tank; they will kill each other to defend a nest site.

A pair will start breeding at 2 inches or less in size, and a 20 gallon tank is adequate to keep them laying 150-200 eggs every two weeks as long as the fry are promptly removed to their own tank. The best way is to give them flower pots laid on their side as caves. They'll lay eggs inside, and once they hatch you can upright the pot and easily remove the fry in a bit of water to the growout tank. Both adults and fry are easy to feed on commercial flakes and the fry grow pretty fast if well fed. They start out small though.

When you need the tank for new fry, the older ones will be big enough to just move to the pickerel tank and feed them there. They're numerous enough that they'll last quite a while.

I did lose my last pickerel though as a result of adding too many feeders. I put in about 150 convicts ranging from 3/4 to 1.5 inches with a 4 inch pickerel, and two months later I was down to about 25 feeders, with the largest pushing 3 inches, and the pickerel was 6 inches, and they killed him, presumably by ganging up.

I never had any luck offering frozen food, but I never really deprived him of live either.

Pickerel really don't move up and down in the water except to go to the bottom to sleep. Footprint is the key thing.

#9 Guest_Subrosa_*

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Posted 30 July 2012 - 03:05 AM

How messy is your pickerel? My oscar and yellow perch were terrible... after much research, it seems its probably going to be more of a hassle to breed feeders, plus, i dont think the feeder fry will gro fast enough. i think if/when i get him, i will try to train him on frozen, and maybe get him real fish once in a while. I did this with my oscar and perch. it wasn't hard with them though, they ate every damn thing i threw at them, alive or dead.....

To be honest I don't find it particularly messy, but it is in a decent sized tank and I do 50% changes weekly as a matter of course with most of my tanks so it hasn't become an issue. In general I'd expect it to be just as messy as any other predatory fish of the same size.

#10 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 30 July 2012 - 03:46 PM

I have raised many. Subrosa hit everything right on the head. I would like to mention that he is 100% correct on pickerel being feed aggressive, not territorial aggressive. They will be out competed by Lepomis if kept in the same tank.



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