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Hey all i caught a 7 inch bluegill today from the lake and i have him in a quarintine tank now, but i wonderd if maybe i could keep him with my texas,gt, and convict in a large tank. I know they are cold water fish but does that men they cant live in a tank with a heater? I mean they live in onds in the summer when the water gets pretty warm. So tell me what you think. John

If I were to keep one and was planning to put it in a heated tank, I would at least give it a week to get used to room temperature, and slowly raise the temperaturer in its tank. How big is the big tank and the fish in it?

120, the texas, convict, are about 5 in, the gt about 6 in

Hmmmmmmmmmmm I would try it, but the Bluegill might kill those fish, because its straight from the wild. But remember do the whole temperature change thing.

i tried this and my JD and GT beat the CRAP out of the bluegill, and also, bluegill are best left in the ponds, cus that's what they are, a pond fish, they get quite large, and can be quite aggresive, i recommend letting him go, and besided, w/ your current stock u already have 3 aggresive cichlids in it, i wouldn't recomend adding a 4th sub-cichlid that can over power the ones u already have, and will probabbly grow 2 large for your tank, at the local cabelas, they have a tank w/ bluegill in it, and some of those fish are a good 14" long, maybe more

Daka<<<<

I dont know much about the temperament issues a bluegill would have with those fish, but I kept 3 in my tank for a while and they did fine in the 75+ degree water. Also, I think I have heard before that keeping gamefish in a home aquarium is illegal in some states....

These timelines I'm giving you comes from some fish medical books I have.

The minimum recommended quarantine period for aquarium fish is 3 weeks (due mainly to certain common aquarium parasites). Most people are lucky to quarantine one week, but if they have good sources and no problems, this is understandable. I went through h&ll with bad stock for a while, so 3 weeks is really a minimum for me in most cases. Once exception is Preuss Pets in Lansing which has the finest stock I've ever seen, plus it quarantines all incoming in a back room.

The minimum recommended quarantine period for wild fish being introduced into an aquarium is 6 weeks. This is because wild fish can introduce pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungii) for which aquarium fish have little or no immunity (lack of exposure, for starters). Consider how easily some isolated tribe might be from the common cold and then we walk in and everyone gets deathly ill just from a cold virus. It's similar. Wild fish have strong immunities.

During the quarantine period, I would defintiely feed the new Jungle Anti-Parasite Medicated Food which contains Metronidazole (hexamita), Levamisol (camallanus & capillaria), and Praziquantel (intestinal worms). I would also make sure during that time, that the fish goes through an external anti-parasite like Parasite Clear Tank Buddies, and later, something with formalin like Rid Ich. The fish could be carrying capability for anchor worm, fish louse, and many other vermin. Life cycles for parasites often involve other hosts like snails and birds, for which there are plenty in the wild. The likelyhood that he is carrying something, imho is high.

But, that's just me. It's not worth exposing your long time pets to the rigors of the wild without precautions.

Also, what is the pH of the cichlid tank versus that of the lake from which the bluegill came?

Bluegills are coldwater fish and would not appreciate, for example, a 78F tank, versus one in the upper 60's and low 70's.

I can't speak on compatibility issues. I'm more inclined to think that a species tank with bluegill, pumpkinseed, etc. would be awesome. I've contemplated it myself . But, I would trap them when they are around an inch or two, which I've done, and start from there.

I should add that once this bluegill is exposed to common meds in the aquarium, he should never be released into the wild. Some meds used in aquariums can cause cancer in humans if the fish are ingested so it is a big no-no. In other cases, there is a wait period of like 21 days before the fish can be re-introduced (terramycin, for example)

Last edited by Cory_Di at 14-Apr-2005 17:39

i thought it was illegal to take wild fishes about of the wild, but n.e way since he is from the wild it might not be the best idea to add him to a tank, i would keep him by himself with other bluegills.