Up and running with a warmouth bonus

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redchaser

Candiru
MFK Member
Feb 23, 2008
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louisiana
www.redchaser.com
I've finally got my 75 gallon up and running. I bought the tank, but everything else is DIY, stand, canopy, lighting, wet dry filer and overflows. My long term plan is to stock it with several longear sunfish, plus a few smaller fish all from the same area of the river, sort of a mini biotope of a very specific area. Today I went out to catch some fish to cycle the tank. I figured I wouldn't find any longear because it's still a bit early for them. It will probably be late March before I find them redily. I figured I'd pick up a couple of small bluegill to cycle with. I was fishing using my fly rod and a "Popper and dropper" rig. A small bream popper with a very small weighted nymph hung about 12 inches below the popper.

I quickly picked up a number of small bluegill, and put a couple in an ice chest filled with river water. Then I got a hit that I knew was something different, it was a great looking little warmouth about 4 inches long. I put one of the bluegill and the warmouth in my tank to cycle it. I'd like to keep the warmouth long term. Do they get along with longear? Is a 75 big enough to keep them in?

B.T.W. I'd post pics but I'm cameraless right now.
 
given enough space, they shouldnt be aggressive toward eachother. However, if you are planning on getting more than two, they will probably become aggressive and territorial. You are aware how big longears get, right?
 
I wouldnt personally want more than 1 warmouth and maybe 1 longear in a 75. those fish both get to decent size, but then im not a fan of crowding.
 
I've had warmouth and bluegill and sunfish in the same tank and did not have any problems with aggression. I was running a 29g at the time and everything was under four inches.
 
redchaser;2758378; said:
I'm going to release the bluegill....into a little cornmeal and oil..........
hope your not using chems.

arent blue gill horrible to cycle with? they are used to pristine water and then they are eventually in water with really high traces of ammonia.
 
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