I might have an opportunity to get a Redhorse for my native tank. What are your thoughts. My bass doesn't like tankmates. My oscar doesn't either in a different tank, but doesn't bother my botoom dwelling polypterus. I was thinking the bass might not care about a bottom dweller. Thoughts?
Redhorse sucker with LMB?
- Thread starter ewurm
- Start date
Here's my Grey Redhorse and bass story...
At work, one of the tanks I take care of and keep stocked is an 8ft long ~180 gal. run tank (there's a riffle tank and a pool tank too). The original members of the tank were a Guadalupe Bass (like a spotted), whatever sunnies could survive the wrath of the bass, 2 Channel Cats, and one Plecostomas born and bred in the San Marcos River (all fish over 12").
Anyway, last summer I happened to seine up three nice BIG Grey Redhorses. I'd had mixed luck with juvie redhorses, but decided to take a shot at the big ones. Originally, they were real spooky and banged all over the place when you looked at them, but with daily contact (and the occasional school group tearing through), they chilled out. I started them out on frozen blood worms and krill simce Greys are invertivores mostly. They took to the frozen food relatively quickly, and eventually I got them on algae wafers, shrimp pellets, and Omega One flakes w/frozen foods twice a week or so.
I was pretty proud of my big 'ol redhorses, and Christmas time came around, and being a state office, it was pretty quiet around there for a week or so. Needless to say, no-one fed the fish (I'm not going to drive 2 hrs round trip to feed fish)... The bass was apparently infuriated that no-one fed him and beat the tar out of the redhorses. He never touched the Cats. All Redhorses in the run were dead by the New Year. I almost killed that bass, and he's still on thin ice.
Well, that's my longwinded experience, hope it helps a little.
BTW-Now I have two 6 inchers and about a dozen 2" Redhorses in the riffle tank, but I'm not trying any more big ones in the run until I get a Juvie Guad Bass to put in there.
At work, one of the tanks I take care of and keep stocked is an 8ft long ~180 gal. run tank (there's a riffle tank and a pool tank too). The original members of the tank were a Guadalupe Bass (like a spotted), whatever sunnies could survive the wrath of the bass, 2 Channel Cats, and one Plecostomas born and bred in the San Marcos River (all fish over 12").
Anyway, last summer I happened to seine up three nice BIG Grey Redhorses. I'd had mixed luck with juvie redhorses, but decided to take a shot at the big ones. Originally, they were real spooky and banged all over the place when you looked at them, but with daily contact (and the occasional school group tearing through), they chilled out. I started them out on frozen blood worms and krill simce Greys are invertivores mostly. They took to the frozen food relatively quickly, and eventually I got them on algae wafers, shrimp pellets, and Omega One flakes w/frozen foods twice a week or so.
I was pretty proud of my big 'ol redhorses, and Christmas time came around, and being a state office, it was pretty quiet around there for a week or so. Needless to say, no-one fed the fish (I'm not going to drive 2 hrs round trip to feed fish)... The bass was apparently infuriated that no-one fed him and beat the tar out of the redhorses. He never touched the Cats. All Redhorses in the run were dead by the New Year. I almost killed that bass, and he's still on thin ice.
Well, that's my longwinded experience, hope it helps a little.
BTW-Now I have two 6 inchers and about a dozen 2" Redhorses in the riffle tank, but I'm not trying any more big ones in the run until I get a Juvie Guad Bass to put in there.
One more thing, the redhorses I've seen aren't really into hiding, they like to be out in a current, and that might cause a conflict with a bass that wants them out of sight. The bichir is happy under a log, maybe that's why he has no prob with it. How big of a tank is it? What kind of redhorse are you looking to get?
They have one in the state park aquarium I maintain, and it has been ther for almost a month. There is a lot of current with three powerheads. There is a monsterous black crappie which doesn't care, but no LMB. How about a Freshwater Drum? I can definitely get one of those, but I think the bass might take offense to it. Or try and eat it.
I put 3 leftover Redhorse suckers in my bass tank from pike fishing. Within 24 hours Larry my pet bass who was about 7 inches rammed every single one of the 6 inch suckers into the side of the tank. Anyways they really don't do anything they just sit on the bottom of the tank until you walk by and spook them.
