New 210 Native Aquarium
- Thread starter JasonsPlecosCichlids
- Start date
Lake was loaded with folks, only caught 2 warmouth's, kept a small green sunfish, and released all the others.
I don't know how familiar you are with NA sport fish, but your fish are all goners. Any fisherman knows that it is normal for Esox sp to eat fish up to 3/4 the length of their own bodies. Even the walleye will try to eat those bluegills. But give that Muskie another 5", and all those fish are dead and you'll have an underfed muskie that you'll have to let go eventually anyway (30" is a throwback muskie). Heck, I'd give it a couple weeks before he has a go at your crappie.
Not trying to be a downer or sound harsh, I just think NA predators are sometimes underrated. There's a reason all the pike and walleye at Bass Pro shops have concave stomachs, even though they have a "fish technician" in charge of their tanks.
Not trying to be a downer or sound harsh, I just think NA predators are sometimes underrated. There's a reason all the pike and walleye at Bass Pro shops have concave stomachs, even though they have a "fish technician" in charge of their tanks.
Stratguy......what could be better than providing the musky with what it would see/eat on a daily basis in the wild. Saying to "let him go" is an illegal act lol...MasterB is a good keeper and fisherman alike. He will provide this fish with optimal care and space.
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wednesday- I'm not saying hes a bad fish keeper 
. If he intends only to keep the one fish alive, then great, they'll all make good food. But when a fish species averages at around 40" in the wild, and is a snake body type that needs room to swim, the only space that is truly suitable for a fish like this is going to be like a 1200 gal tank, if not more. Let's put it this way- I've had people give me crap for breeding Severum in a 30 gal. Keeping a musky at this size- great. But he's gonna grow to a true monster, and not a catfish that will sit on the bottom, but an active open water predator, and that requires serious space. Or at least somewhere to donate him.
. If he intends only to keep the one fish alive, then great, they'll all make good food. But when a fish species averages at around 40" in the wild, and is a snake body type that needs room to swim, the only space that is truly suitable for a fish like this is going to be like a 1200 gal tank, if not more. Let's put it this way- I've had people give me crap for breeding Severum in a 30 gal. Keeping a musky at this size- great. But he's gonna grow to a true monster, and not a catfish that will sit on the bottom, but an active open water predator, and that requires serious space. Or at least somewhere to donate him.
I was waiting for a post like this to come up. I realize what he has the potential to turn into, I realize what every fish I have ever owned has the potential to turn into. Even with my 500 gallon I had at the time with all those peacock bass, rays, etc. that my tank was too small when they grew larger, I didn't get a single "you will need a bigger tank" post when I had that setup.
I've always wanted a Musky, around 30" but in KY its illegal to keep a Musky this small, which is why I got it from a fish hatchery, sometimes they are available at the LFS but haven't seen one is a while. I was wanting a Tiger Musky but haven't seen one of them in a while either.
The musky I have now is a around 8 months to a year old, he will grow double that in the right conditions in the wild but most likely not in an aquarium, as with almost any other fish we keep on here that get larger than the tank we house them in. Should the Musky make a meal out of any other fish in my tank, that's fine with me. I can catch them anytime and they are free.
I know a lot of folks say this but should I have to get rid of the Musky, I know 2 folks that would take him for their lake. One of them bought one from the store, put it in his lake and didn't see it again till 3 years later when another guy was bass fishing and caught it at 38", he released it back into the lake.
Should I have a house next year like I plan, I would love to build a plywood tank and keep him. I've always wanted to do what I did in my 500 with natives but on a larger scale.
I've always wanted a Musky, around 30" but in KY its illegal to keep a Musky this small, which is why I got it from a fish hatchery, sometimes they are available at the LFS but haven't seen one is a while. I was wanting a Tiger Musky but haven't seen one of them in a while either.
The musky I have now is a around 8 months to a year old, he will grow double that in the right conditions in the wild but most likely not in an aquarium, as with almost any other fish we keep on here that get larger than the tank we house them in. Should the Musky make a meal out of any other fish in my tank, that's fine with me. I can catch them anytime and they are free.
I know a lot of folks say this but should I have to get rid of the Musky, I know 2 folks that would take him for their lake. One of them bought one from the store, put it in his lake and didn't see it again till 3 years later when another guy was bass fishing and caught it at 38", he released it back into the lake.
Should I have a house next year like I plan, I would love to build a plywood tank and keep him. I've always wanted to do what I did in my 500 with natives but on a larger scale.
Well I know for sure, pure muskies will most likely not grow big in the aquariums. I'm trying to ask someone in our dept to see if he can give me a permit to collect some of Shoepack Muskellunge, world's smallest strain of pure muskies that never surpass 30" and any muskie over 25" is a giant. Unique strain.
That's awesome if you've got a pond to put it in. If you're looking for something more permanent, you might want to look at pickerels in the future. I think there's about 4 common varieties, the smallest only gets around 12" and the most common, the chain pickerel averages around 16" if my memory serves me correct. And like you said, they won't reach their maximum in an aquarium.
