Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

My yougest daughter bought a 30 something gallon aquarium & dont know what kind fish she wants, so I'm think'n.... (duh) BLUEGILL,  I told her it would be a blast to have a pet BG, put in some lilly pads, drift wood, maybe a beer bottle on the bottom of the tank so it'll feel at home, no hassle feeding (rite outta the yard), its a no brainer.

 

What say you ?? 

Views: 3391

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

I have an 200gal aquarium with wild sunfish and they all thrive very well, I have BG, long ears and Rio grande perch, they all seem to get along

Thanks for the input gents, we just read the reply & found it very interest'n, some good food for thought.

In grade school, I kept a small (4 inches or so) bluegill in a 5-gallon aquarium as part of a school science fair project for probably 3 months. The tank was pretty spartan - just a filter, aerator, don't remember if I even had gravel, but I don't think so. I fed it red worms and it did fine. After the science fair, I released it into the wild.

Jonathan

I have a friend who has 2 of them in a 45 gals tank. Looks healthy, but not too happy. Need something larger, like the 200 gals like Federico has.

A 200 gal tank would be fantastic, I didnt even knew they came that big, what a great place to watch/ learn your fave fish than your own personal eco space with a school of BG's.

We dont know anything about maintianing a fish tank, things like water temp, when or how to clean, I guess i could search for a fresh water aquarium forum. 

Mike, thats some great info, how cool is that, makes me want to hire the crew from tanked to build me a massive tank from a school bus.

I like them because they are basically free for the taking and you dont have to worry too much about introducing harmful diseases or parasites. I just get the aquarium started and once it is working, add the bluegill. Bring a few gallons of their native water to the tank and exchange an equal amount of tank water with it.

I usually also snag some wood and stones from the same water to  introduce along with the fish. Bluegill/sunfish are very adaptable in the aquarium and do well. Indeed, you could populate a tank with nothing but native fishes and organisms and do very well with it.

I used to be into aquariums- nothing fancy, just goldfish- and all the books discourage use of wood as a decoration (unless it is purchased from the pet shop). But I think it would be safe to use driftwood collected from the lake if you have several pieces and rotate them every week or so.

Bluegill would make great pets! My dad had a couple in the fishpond here. They seemed a lot more interested in people than the goldfish. Also, they kept the goldfish population from getting out of hand.

Suzanne - thanks for the reply.

Generally, wood is not recommended if it's pedigree is unknown or if you are not going to treat it prior to use. It's just playing it safe to take no chances, especially where expensive tropical fishes are concerned. I, too, have read  many aquaria books, so I get what you are saying.

I pull up enough wood from the waters I fish in to feel confident using it. I would soak it first in a salt water bath, to kill micro-organisms. But beyond that, I would be duplicating the same water the fish normally live in. Call it a Lake Murray biotope!

We got to do some fish'n recently & the gills we caught would've been perfect, the colors were great, mite need to get everything ready for the next rip.

Do it!

its ironic that you started this discussion because i've been thinking about buying a big aquarium and puttin sunfish in it; i think pumpkinseeds would be so awesome in there because of their brightness

RSS

Latest Activity

John Sheehan commented on Troy Dorman's photo
Thumbnail

1000003857

"Posting some nice Fish, Troy!"
21 minutes ago
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

492222666_10238698533862060_5336729201480880262_n

"Fish are flopping around like its July up here and we haven't seen May yet! Very weird year!"
22 minutes ago
Bruce Tomaselli commented on Troy Dorman's photo
Thumbnail

1000003857

"I can just taste the fillets!"
9 hours ago
Troy Dorman posted photos
19 hours ago
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

491348751_10238683890455984_2672104245638727985_n

"Yes and very aggressive that Day!"
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
yesterday
John Sheehan replied to Bruce Tomaselli's discussion Unable to Log in
"No idea ,Bruce . It doesn't happen from my end! Hope it gets straightened out for you ."
yesterday
Bruce Tomaselli posted a discussion

Unable to Log in

It's curious. I can go for 3 to 5 days straight without being able to log in here. It happens quite…See More
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Ringwood Brook Rainbow Trout

"Smoker time…..enjoy John!"
Friday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Friday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

489926224_10238683871295505_5852549182092207622_n

"Seeds always come to the party if they are in the area.,,,"
Friday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

492222666_10238698533862060_5336729201480880262_n

"Nice gill John…..on the little rap……..my dad loved putting that bait on a fly…"
Friday
John Sheehan posted photos
Friday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's status
"Somewhat surprised because it seemed like a quick turn on."
Thursday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's status
"Good deal John…..were you confident or somewhat surprised by today’s success from…"
Wednesday
John Sheehan posted a status
"Some decent Gills and Crappie today from shore. Wish I got a Water temp. They were active between 11-noon!"
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

In the Net….4/20/2025

"Look how little my popeye jig looks by the tail.......catch so many bass every year on these small…"
Apr 21
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

491836771_10238604253985122_2836813665102144302_n

"Mid-May is a guess without checking my records, Jeff. "
Apr 20
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

wacky Bass on the Flats

"Thanks Dick, this lake is not producing like it has for Greg and I like it has in the past. We hope…"
Apr 20

© 2025   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service