keeping native bluehgill or.........
- Thread starter toxicfish
- Start date
catch them and aclimate them like you would a bought fish. They wil eat anything . They act and behave just like cichlids some are even meaner. Make sure the watter you have them in is as close to tank temp and slowly swich the watter till they are use to the tank watter then throw in a tank and feed them
If you keep them at tropical instead of temperate temps. they are sensitive to ich and fungus. Use a drip system and aclimate slowly. They are great fish and mean little snots. They train to hand feeding.
Going from a lake/river to a tank is a tremendous change in scenery and water conditions. Heat the water to around 75 degrees. Make sure the fish have lots of plants/rocks/wood to hide behind. Turn the aquarium lights out and let the fish be for about 4 days. On the 5th day offer them some crickets or an earthworm. If they eat go ahead and feed them for the next few days and then try things with the aquarium light on. This makes the transition much easier. Also make sure you have GOOD aeration.
IMO the best way that has worked for me in acclimating natives to tropical temps is to set up a tiny holding tank for a day. and have it at room temp. then acclimate them into the holding tanks temp. after tehy are acclimated, wait a few hours then throw a heater in, slowly raise the temp to the tropical temp as they should be fine.
Fish acclimating from cold to warm seem to stress more than warm to cold.
Fish acclimating from cold to warm seem to stress more than warm to cold.
My blue gill lives in a 5g jar, they get switched out every few weeks, they ussually eat the same day they go in and a few have taken crickets and mealworms while still in the bucket within minutes of being caught, temp. change is what to watch. Other fish are more sensitive.
i dont think blue gill are that sensitive... i just dumped the one i caught straight into my tropical tank, it hid for maybe an hour in back then came up and acted normal. by the next day it was begging for food! just like my old oscar! now it acts alot like my old oscar, i think it is really cool. btw where i caught it the water was probably almost as warm as my aquarium.
after i had an accident (forgot to add dechlor) and my cichlids died, i lowered the temp to about 70-72F.
after i had an accident (forgot to add dechlor) and my cichlids died, i lowered the temp to about 70-72F.
I don't see the purpose of heating the tank for a north american fish? Especially if it causes problems.. H'rm. Plus, cold water holds more o2.