Pickerel tank mate?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
...still you :popcorn:


The problem is this website (or at least this section) is essentially a where's waldo book when it comes down to finding information on here. It is hidden in all the wars.

I did read that pickerel do eat sunfish, but I would imagine that it would be ok as long as the sunfish is too large to be eaten and is not stealing all of the food. I could be wrong but from what I read, it seems that mud sunfish would not eat all of the pickerel's food.
 
I have caught small sunnies and fed them to pickerels before. They just have to be small enough to fit in their mouths. As for competing for food, pickerels hit it lighting fast if they see it. I had one where I dropped a smelt in between a pickerel and sunfish. Although it was too big for the sunny, the sunny went for it. The pickerel quickly grabbed the smelt and in the same process got some sunny too.
 
Leo1234 said:
...still Leo1234 :popcorn:

I did read that pickerel do eat sunfish, but I would imagine that it would be ok as long as the sunfish is too large to be eaten and is not stealing all of the food. I could be wrong but from what I read, it seems that mud sunfish would not eat all of the pickerel's food.
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I had a mud sunfish a little while ago, super orny buggers. It will constantly nipping on a young pike and it will murder the feeders before the pike can touch them. I have hard time to get the pike eat on the murdered feeder fish as I hate to waste feeders over nothing. Sold the pike to a wildlife center.
 
This will probably be wrong also, but could you keep adult golden shiners with them? I would think they would be alright if they were as large as the pickerel.

By the way, did you edit my quote (I love how it just says "still leo1234" and nothing else... yep, I'm still Leo1234 and will always be)?
Why does it bother you so much that we are stating our opinions on a website that anyone can post their experience even if there is the chance of being incorrect?
 
Golden shiners tend to be super skittish around and they can get super excited that could stress out pickerel/pike. Not mentioned that pickerel/pike might attack them due to the shiny scales they have. My larger golden shiners constantly have scars and missing scales from the pike. One has a wound on the tail that the pike grab and I had to put that shiner in hospital to prevents the infection sets in. It was nasty big gash.
 
I have also kept a school(6) of 5 to 6 inch golden shiners with three 8 to 11 inch red fin pickerel. The pickerel never bothered them, but then again they were well fed. Also the pickerel never seemed to mind them one way or another. In my many years of fish keeping I have found that most aggression in fish is from one of 3 things territory,breeding or lack of food.Territory aggression can be kept to a minimal if not completely subdued (except during breeding)by keeping the fish well fed. I have found that pickerel under 12 inches will leave a 4 inch sunfish or shiner alone as long as it is fed well(two to three times a day) . But will try to eat it if only being fed once a day. But most don't want to take the time or money(if your buying food) to do this. But if you are seriously wanting to keep other fish with pickerel then you need to be willing and able to do it.
 
Mr.Catfish said:
I have also kept a school(6) of 5 to 6 inch golden shiners with three 8 to 11 inch red fin pickerel. The pickerel never bothered them, but then again they were well fed. Also the pickerel never seemed to mind them one way or another. In my many years of fish keeping I have found that most aggression in fish is from one of 3 things territory,breeding or lack of food.Territory aggression can be kept to a minimal if not completely subdued (except during breeding)by keeping the fish well fed. I have found that pickerel under 12 inches will leave a 4 inch sunfish or shiner alone as long as it is fed well(two to three times a day) . But will try to eat it if only being fed once a day. But most don't want to take the time or money(if your buying food) to do this. But if you are seriously wanting to keep other fish with pickerel then you need to be willing and able to do it.
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It takes to just a weekend away from home and come home to found other tankmates all gone. It happens all times with other fish keepers. I found that if you fed them daily, they will usually leave other tank mates alone but it's too expensive for me to feed predatory fishes daily with live foods and frozen foods. Lot of water changes too.
 
Thanks for all of your opinions, some good ideas!!
I am pretty sure I will go with 2 more redfin pickerel and keep it a species only tank!!! If I can ever find them in stock!!
It the coolest thing to watch them eat!!!

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MN_Rebel said:
Golden shiners tend to be super skittish around and they can get super excited that could stress out pickerel/pike. Not mentioned that pickerel/pike might attack them due to the shiny scales they have. My larger golden shiners constantly have scars and missing scales from the pike. One has a wound on the tail that the pike grab and I had to put that shiner in hospital to prevents the infection sets in. It was nasty big gash.
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I know the feeling very well. I use smaller golden shiners as a food source for the Redfins, and larger ones as "dither fish". I have probably lost several dozen "larger than edible" Golden shiners to redfin pickerel attack.

Although they are less than dirt cheap (a couple of pennies) when you have grown out the golden shiners to 6+" they are stunningly gorgeous! It seems they are much like Australian Rainbow fish with redfin attack marks. They NEVER fully heal and you are left with a huge banged up no longer "feeder" to deal with!
 
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