largemouth bass tank set up

[Oscarboyz]

I am new to the natives but can someone give me info on the tank set up they need, temp. ph etc. how big they get and what they eat and where to get them not just taking one from a lake. filtration... and tank mates??? any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[EvilMonkey666]

I got mine from a river. I dont really know where you could get one at a local fish store or online, but I have only seen one once at a pet shop and someone brought him in. I currently keep mine in a 55g tank but hes pushing about 8 inches and soon he will be upgraded to his own 300g tank. They get huge! He is going to need at least that to live comfortably in, or else go down in my pond, which im trying to stay away from. His water is neutral and at a temp of 79-80. Mine doesnt go well with tankmates. I found either he bullies them or gets bullied, or downright will try to swallow them if they are small enough. I keep fake plants in the tank with enough cover so he can feel comfortable, and pieces of driftwood to give it the lake effect. I havent had any problems getting him to eat sandwich meat, ie bologna, ham, raw hamburger (use these sparingly they are very fatty and only as a treat), clam, krill, shrimp, silversides, and if you try hard enough pellets. Mine will eat hikari gold. Stay away from feeder fish, they are discusting, and full of disease. You can get him to eat non living things with time. The only filtration I use on my tank is a hot magnum. I do a large water change of about 40% each week to keep the tank and water up. I have found mine to be extremely intelligent, owner responsive and well worth keeping. Someone will come along and add anything I have left out, but basically this is my experience with keeping my largemouth. Good luck.

 

[Mpls Laker]

I am new to the natives but can someone give me info on the tank set up they need, temp. ph etc. how big they get and what they eat and where to get them not just taking one from a lake. filtration... and tank mates??? any feedback would be appreciated.

I've had two, for several months now, and first, i'll tell that it's hard to keep them from fighting. So, maybe just get one, unless you can get a giant tank. Mine love shade, so i got them a ceramic hollow log. It looks like ****, but they love it. I keep my tank at 73 degrees (room temp. plus light). No heater needed, so far. I put cooler water in with their water chages (goes down to about 71), which i think they like. They eat a lot! I feed mine mostly Freeze dried jumbo krill, rosies, and comets. They'll eat almost anything if they're hungry. I got mine at Wet World in Eagan, MN. Some states won't let stores sell them. Extra filtration and frequent water changes are needed. The only fish my larger bass is good with is my sunny, but other spieces which are much too large to swallow, i think, will be ok.

 

[fisher12889]

I have a lm and a sm in a 125 for now, and they fight all the time lol. Nothing major, but they dont like each other very much! They like plants and driftwood, so try some lily pads and anacharis. Mine get along fine w/ 2 bluegill and a small crawdad...for now lol

 

[Horiyoshi III]

I agree with the previous posts,iv'e had NO luck keeping Largemouth with ANYTHING living,definatley a power tank canidate,i.e. one super-predator grown to length,but as for getting them to eat frozen stuuf...............GOOD LUCK,mines WAY to picky,but i guess i'll keep trying here and there,but mealworms,crickets,pinkies(baby mice)depending on size of Bass,comets and others so maybe theyll be in better health than feeders,feeders bad,and frogs,and crayfish too!!! Good luck,there self running fish if you know the ins and outs of freshwater fish,as all you L.Mouth keepers will agree........But no two was about it,NO tankmates if you have under a 180+ gallon............Happy Native Keeping>>>>

 

[ewurm]

Mine lives with a bullhead and a pacu, and used to live with an oscar. They all got along.

 

[Horiyoshi III]

i dont know how your Bass didnt punk off those fish,or didnt constantly fight at least,never thought a bullhead,pacu,and an oscar could live with a LMB,what size tank did u have??????

 

[Cichlidlover23]

I caught a baby 5" LMB when i was a kid & at the time my dad had a 150g oscar tank. We had 3 at the time & all where over 10". Anyways after adding him we never had 1 problem with any fighting. I don't believe he changed any of his feeding habits.

 

[dcorreia]

I've had bass for years and the #1 thing I would recommend is get them as small as possible. Older fish can be very difficult to train to eat pellets and will not get a long easily with other fish. If you get them young and they grow up with other fish in your tank they will be friendlier.

You do not need a heater, these fish live through winters in the northern States in lakes that freeze over.

They eat a lot and create a lot of waste. Make sure to do normal water changes.

Small fish can be kept in a 55g but will out grow it pretty fast.

Not sure where you live but the aquaponics shops out here carry LMB and they are already pellet trained. I've always got mine from ponds.

Good luck

 

[tcav88]

Anyone know the growth rate of lmb? My brother has one thats hes had for 2 years and its only 15 inches. He may have stunted it before i aquired it and i have it in my 240 right now.