How do you grow Bluegill?

[Zack Thomasson]

Hey guys i was wondering in videos i see many in aquariums,ponds,or even buckets! I was wondering if i could get some info! If any of you have bluegill please tell me how to grow them! I would also like to know if catch them and put them in, or do you buy them.

Thanks,

Zack

[Magnolia Rick]

Jeremy
I seen a picture somewhere here on the site of someone with a wading pool raising gills it in. I called myself looking for it but haven't seen it again.

[Jeremy R. Mayo]

I gotta 40 gallon aquarium. Basic filters and fake plants. Used to be the guppy honey hole! I put a couple lil gills in there and they lived for 3 years. Size wise they went from 4 to 9". You aint gotta have nothing special. Gills are fighters and can live in almost any condition. DONT PUT BIG ROCKS IN THERE! I had large aquarium gravel. Im talkin 2" stone. If you keep your heater at 70 plus degrees your gonna here clankin around the full moon. They will bed and its a cool site to see. Dont plan on havin babys cause there gonna end up eating the fry. May of had something to do with me not feeding for almost a month. I give my gills my left over fathead minnows from crappie fishing and my left over crickets. Throw some in a tank and just add water. Remember no tap!

[Johnny wilkins]

Well tank raised bluegills are best to start with. Wild gills will be used to feeding one certain way and in the aquarium, they will not get natural hatches and their mosquito larvae they love - unless you are willing to dump unhatched mosquito into your home's tank.
That said, there are some places you can get some tank raised gills. If you can't find this, then you should try and find fry or the smallest you can catch on a hook. They will adjust to flake food with some live food supplements such as blood worm, crickets, red worms.
I would say you need a decent-sized tank such as a 40 gallon long to make them really happy, but you can try smaller. The problem with smaller is these fish will get aggressive. The largest tank you can get is also easier to care for than a small tank. 20 gallon long would be pushing it but you are welcome to try it.
Bump up that filtration also as much as possible. Larger filters offer better turn-over on the tank and will be easier to clean.
Compact Florescent lights will offer great lighting to not only simulate their natural light but also to really make the gill colors jump.
You can try potted plants as this might keep the plants out of their digging zone but this might not work the best- plants in tanks are a little advanced. Best to go plastic to avoid digging, dying and the huge expense.
You should start with 5 - 7 small fish unless you are in the 20 - long or smaller tank. Great filters are the Magnum 350 canister - next best Penguin BIO Wheel Emperor - easy to clean, and is it magic for new aquarium owners! SImple fast cleaning.

Money No Object?
If money is no object - the new Fluval G and a 125 gallon would be the dream setup. Pick the utility room or an off-the-path room or a spot beneath the stairs and cut a rectangle in the wall the height of your stand so you can view this awesome aquarium without seeing all the parts, filter, stand or edges.
Don't skip on the good lighting- get a big filter and lastly you can get some apple snails or mystery snails. These will do a decent job of cleaning your tank. These also might become lunch though- you will have to keep your meat-eaters fed.
There are color-enhancing foods I would recommend some African Cichlid pellets for bigger fish. When you bring the fish into your new aquarium, you will need to acclimate the fish to the water slowly. Float them in the top to get the temperature consistent with the water they are in. Add 20% of the aquarium water to this bag every 15 minutes. This will keep the fish from going into shock from changes in water chemistry.
Last but not least - you need your aquarium running for a couple of weeks with some fish like Giant Danios or a single goldfish to get the tanks' biology started. The gravel you place in there will be a bed of bacteria and a fish some food and some time primes your filter media and that gravel bed.
After a couple of weeks that water will be perfect for your new bluegills.
Feel free to contact me as I have 3 aquariums...

John