View Full Version : New Smallmouth Bass!
fisher12889
05-31-2006, 10:32 PM
I just got a smallmouth bass, its about 4-5", but i cant get it to eat! I caught 2 and gave 1 to a friend and his is already eating like crazy. Mine gets spooked whenever I go by the aquarium also. Any ideas on wat i can try? I put in a few small minnows but it ignores them completely. It is in a 20 gallon w/ a largemouth about the same size, soon they will be moved to a 125 gallon.
guppy
05-31-2006, 10:45 PM
Give it plenty of plants to hide in and try crickets.
ewurm
05-31-2006, 11:02 PM
Give it some time. Fish will eat when they get hungry...trust me.
cichlid savage
05-31-2006, 11:07 PM
Survival will set in long before starvation in a healthy fish. Give him time he'll get hungry enough to eat.
fisher12889
05-31-2006, 11:07 PM
theres a rock ledge, and several large artificial plants, and a piece of driftwood on the bottom
fisher12889
05-31-2006, 11:16 PM
Ill try and post pics soon too. I was thinking of trying small earthworms or crawdads, but i gotta find some first
lil_blue
06-01-2006, 12:24 AM
craws, if you can find em
ive never met a bass of any sort that wont eat a crayfish
Bassman89
06-01-2006, 1:51 PM
just wait...ittl eat throw anythin you find in the tank...(moths, spiders. grasshoppers etc.)
fishyz
06-01-2006, 4:19 PM
Try some live and floating plant in the tank. May be even try to keep the fish by itself for a bit. Just make sure you keep plenty of minnows in the tank.
fisher12889
06-01-2006, 5:42 PM
I finally got it to eat! I threw in a few more minnows and it smashed them! Im still gonna try and get some crawdads for variety
Bassman89
06-01-2006, 5:50 PM
thats what i like to hear...maybe we could get some little crawdads when we head down to the park later
fisher12889
06-10-2006, 3:01 AM
Again, the smallmouth isnt eating! The largemouth still eats, but I never see it, ill just see his fat stomache! They both still get spooked really easily, everytime I go to the tank, they run for cover! I dont have any test kits, but could the water be bad? I dont know what else to try, theres alot of cover in the tank(fake plants, caves, etc) wouldnt you think they would feel safer?
It could easily take a month or 2 for it to settle down.
drewish
06-10-2006, 2:12 PM
What type of filtration are you using? Smallies come from moving water and they will probably be more comfortable in a decent current. A lot of their food swims by them and they dash after it.
A small powerhead would help there, they also require a higher O2 level than LMBs do.
sandtiger
06-10-2006, 3:57 PM
Cooler moving water, rocky cover and a high amount of DO should all be provided with a smallmouth, with that the water should be nice and clean, minimal nitrAtes. It took my rock bass almost a week to eat frozen food (bloodworms, mysis, beefheart, krill and brine shrimp) so I imagin yours will come around as long as you provide it with what it needs and keep it stress free.
fisher12889
06-11-2006, 3:24 PM
What type of filtration are you using? Smallies come from moving water and they will probably be more comfortable in a decent current. A lot of their food swims by them and they dash after it.
There are only a few rivers in Colorado that have smallies, but many of the lakes do. I caught this one from a local reservoir. The filter does create some current in the tank though. There is a cave, a piece of driftwood, and several other larger rocks, along with some fake plants. Also there is a sponge filter, so Im sure that will put a lot of oxygen in the water. Ive had it for about 2 weeks now, and it seems to be getting a little more settled in. I dont know why it was eating fine for a few days but then it stopped! I did a 50% water change yesterday, and the lm ate a few miinnows, and the sm seemed interested but didnt really chase them. Maybe its just getting used to its new surroundings, but I gave Bassman 1 and his is eating all the time, its already starting to learn where the food comes from!
buckeyenut222
06-11-2006, 3:57 PM
try night crawlers they are nice and slimy and probably "stink real good" to a fish lol
fisher12889
06-11-2006, 6:38 PM
try night crawlers they are nice and slimy and probably "stink real good" to a fish lol
Haha ya i bet they do, all my other fish really seem to like them!
Bassman89
06-12-2006, 1:32 AM
Again, the smallmouth isnt eating! The largemouth still eats, but I never see it, ill just see his fat stomache! They both still get spooked really easily, everytime I go to the tank, they run for cover! I dont have any test kits, but could the water be bad? I dont know what else to try, theres alot of cover in the tank(fake plants, caves, etc) wouldnt you think they would feel safer?
well i have pretty much the exact same filtration system you have so i dunno...maybe the smallie feels threatend by the lm???
fisher12889
06-12-2006, 3:06 AM
well i have pretty much the exact same filtration system you have so i dunno...maybe the smallie feels threatend by the lm???
No, ive definately seen the sm chase the lm a little bit lol
staticline69
06-13-2006, 12:07 AM
Dude try worms they worked great for my wild bluegill!!
fisher12889
06-13-2006, 12:21 AM
I threw a piece of o nightcrawler in there, but it didnt seem too big on that lol. I tried a small crawdad that I caught but it didnt seem interested in that either. Ill just keep doing frequent water changes because they seem to be helping the most!
Bassman89
06-13-2006, 3:20 PM
I threw a piece of o nightcrawler in there, but it didnt seem too big on that lol. I tried a small crawdad that I caught but it didnt seem interested in that either. Ill just keep doing frequent water changes because they seem to be helping the most!
man if ur smallie isnt takin the nightcrawlers than i dunno what to say
fisher12889
06-13-2006, 6:04 PM
Ya I know its a strange one lol
stingray4540
06-13-2006, 11:10 PM
do you have pics of your smallie?
fisher12889
06-14-2006, 1:08 AM
Ya i do but my friend has my camera.Ill post pics soon, probably tommorow if I get my cam back.
Bassman89
06-14-2006, 1:56 AM
Ya i do but my friend has my camera.Ill post pics soon, probably tommorow if I get my cam back.
u better...than i gotta put some up of my bullhead
fisher12889
06-14-2006, 2:15 AM
u better...than i gotta put some up of my bullhead
I dont think your camera will zoom out far enough to get the whole thing in the picture lol
Bassman89
06-14-2006, 2:22 AM
I dont think your camera will zoom out far enough to get the whole thing in the picture lol
haha i know..what a fatass
Bassman89
06-14-2006, 11:57 PM
the pic of my smallie that fisher12889 caught for me...his is almost identical to mine..maybe a little smaller but still doesnt eat
fisher12889
06-15-2006, 1:36 AM
Heres some pics of my bass!
Bassman89
06-15-2006, 11:39 PM
my smallie is better than yours HAHAHEHE:ROFL:
stingray4540
06-15-2006, 11:44 PM
sweet! I'm jealous!
fisher12889
06-16-2006, 12:36 AM
my smallie is better than yours HAHAHEHE:ROFL:
Ya but mine isnt missing a fin...is yours? lol
fisher12889
06-16-2006, 12:38 AM
sweet! I'm jealous!
They're really fun to watch, especially when they actually eat lol.
fishyz
06-16-2006, 10:41 AM
Try iscolating the fish and keeping minnows in the tank.
Bassman89
06-17-2006, 1:04 AM
Ya but mine isnt missing a fin...is yours? lol
its grown back about halfway
fisher12889
06-17-2006, 6:09 PM
Try iscolating the fish and keeping minnows in the tank.
Its eating now, it ate 1 minnow yesterday, and 2 so far today. The only thing im worried about now is that it keeps twitching and rubbing its side against the rocks...any ideas?
Bassman89
06-17-2006, 7:22 PM
Its eating now, it ate 1 minnow yesterday, and 2 so far today. The only thing im worried about now is that it keeps twitching and rubbing its side against the rocks...any ideas?
its retarded...a fish on crack:ROFL:
sandtiger
06-17-2006, 8:19 PM
Its eating now, it ate 1 minnow yesterday, and 2 so far today. The only thing im worried about now is that it keeps twitching and rubbing its side against the rocks...any ideas?
Could be parasites, keep a close eye on him. May also be the beginning of ich, stress and change in water might do that. It may also be teh water, maybe he hasen't fully adjusted to the different water than what he was used too.
fisher12889
06-18-2006, 2:08 AM
Should I medicate for parasites? Do frequent water changes? I dont know what to do!
sandtiger
06-18-2006, 7:58 AM
I would just keep an eye on him now and see how he adjust. I personally don't like useing medication unless I KNOW I have to, your fish might very well be ok. Just watch him for now, check your water parems frequently and go from there.
Bassman89
06-18-2006, 2:47 PM
take the lm and the blugill outta there then see what happens...
matthew112687
06-18-2006, 3:43 PM
Keep that water clean. He will be ok
fisher12889
06-19-2006, 2:23 AM
take the lm and the blugill outta there then see what happens...
Where do you expect me to put them? You know I dont have any other tanks for them now. Even if I had a place why would I take them out?
Bassman89
06-19-2006, 3:13 PM
just givin you a suggestion that you asked for