I am cycling a 75 gallon right now. It's my first tank in years. I keep flip flopping between tropical and native. Back in the day I had some really awesome native tanks and I kinda want to do it again. BUT does anyone know a solid reliable source for Redfin pickerel year round? Only way I am going back native is if I can find me a Redfin. I had a grass pickerel back in the day and he was absolutely awesome and I got him after my Redfin was destroyed by my bowfin .
Pickerel
- Thread starter Chad55
- Start date
Your local lake is usually a good source 
. In all seriousness though, I believe sach's aquaculture store regularly has both redfins and grasses. They have chains listed as well but last I heard from another member they haven't had chains in a while. I'd definitely suggest doing natives, I've done both and currently still have both (mainly natives though) and I am becoming increasingly bored with the tropicals, I plan on switching to all natives soon here.
. In all seriousness though, I believe sach's aquaculture store regularly has both redfins and grasses. They have chains listed as well but last I heard from another member they haven't had chains in a while. I'd definitely suggest doing natives, I've done both and currently still have both (mainly natives though) and I am becoming increasingly bored with the tropicals, I plan on switching to all natives soon here.
Wont Pickerel be ok in a tropical tank? my local lake is more of a big pond with temps around 75 most of the season. i realize that the deeper parts of the lake are a bit cooler but the pickerel always seem to be in the super shallow weedy parts of the lake.
They'll tolerate it, just as sunfish in my local lake thrive in 96° 2" deep shallow flats in August. But they don't prefer temps that high unless there is an abundance of forage to make up for the high temps. Pickerel seem to like slightly higher water temps than other Esox and like it around 64-74°, whereas musky like 50-70° and pike seem to prefer water in the low to mid 60's down to the 40's.
Pickerel do "ok" in tropical temps. They grow real fast are more active and eat a ton but that's not really what their bodies were built for and it will effect them in the long run. You are best just keeping them at room temperature. I used to be very into natives. I have kept bowfin, lmb, pickerel, all sorts of sunfish and I can honestly say none of them "thrived" at higher temps.
Young esox can tolerate higher temps for a short time but once they get older, that's where they lost their tolerance.
My pickerel have always been kept room temp. That generally means 70's summer, 60's winter. My grass pickerel are thriving with a group of crappie, pumpkinseeds, a growout channel cat and bullhead.
