Don't be so sure on size. Most won't get past 8-10" and rarely past 12" but there's some rare ones out there that'll get massive. Pictured below (not my pic) are two adult Coppernose strain Bluegills.
What would you do with a 55 gal?
- Thread starter o5b0rn3b
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"Most won't get past 8-10"????? Maybe in stunted populations but the average size in adult bluegills are 7-8"+ in many lakes/rivers.
Or maybe you're just catching young bluegills. Come on man, let's just be realistic adult bluegills, regardless of what subspecies do get big up to 8", it's just young/smaller bluegills are more common than the breeding adults.
Where I'm fishing for them is probably the best public fishery in the state (Presque Isle Bay) and I seldom catch them over 8", with just a few over 10". Now the private quarry I dive at has some big fish, which average 8-14" and I've seen quite a few over 16" at the place, with one that was probably pushing 18" and looked like a swimming frying pan, it would've easily been a state record and probably even a world record if it was caught in a public water.
Those bluegill in the pic are hybrids. Obviously raised to be bigger and as 'trophy fish'. They are in any body of water that are usually stocked by a private owner. Those pics come from an article written about a fishing club. I have kept a bluegill, a pumpkinseed, and a black crappie at different times in their own 55. Neither liked plants that grew past the halfway mark of the tank and would tear them up when they grew bigger. As far as temperment, I have had NONE that allowed smaller fish to live in the tank with them, with crappie being the most aggressive. Maybe if smaller fish are introduced at the same time, they might not get killed....might not. I will say that the crappie was the coolest to watch when it stalked prey. It would change colors from half and half silver/black to all black. I never had a gill jump out of the tank but the crappie did and subsequently died. Might wanna think about a lid. Good luck.
