Bass Tank/Bass Compatibility

[tsk]

I've got a 55 gallon tank I'd like to keep some bass in for the winter. Essentially this is a growout tank. We have a small private pond on our property (350k gallons give or take) and I'd like to give the fish some chance to grow and increase survival. So these fish probably have about 6-8 months of growth in this tank. I'm guessing they'll be double the size as when they started.

My son is in charge of the fish etc and naturally he'd like to keep 5 large fish of every species imaginable but I've been trying to tell him less is more, etc.

My question is, can large and small mouth bass coexist in a tank like this? Can more than one large mouth bass be in a tank? Are there some guidelines about keeping multiple bass in a tank, etc? And how big, etc.

Any help here would be appreciated.

 

[divemaster99]

Large and smallmouth can definitely be kept in the same tank but a 55 is way too small, even for a few months. As soon as they hit 6" they'll be too big for a tank that size and probably start to get aggressive with each other. A rock bass would be a better growout but it'd still grow too large for a 55 eventually. I'd invest in a 75 gallon, much better dimensions than a 55 for larger species. You might wish to look in to smaller natives for a 55 like Darters and Shiners, which are in my opinion much more interesting to keep than black bass anyway.

 

[MN_Rebel]

Basslet goodeids, looks like bass and has same coloration of largemouth bass but they're harmless and stays small.