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What's In The Tank?


BIGFISH.JZ

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I have had gamefish in my aquarium as long as I can remember. It is an everyday occurrence to watch their behavior. Recently a new friend was over and was awestruck by my fish, making me realize that it probably isn't very common to see a 10" bluegill in a fish tank. I currently have a sunny, a rock bass and two bullheads as my 'pets'. I have had basically every species of MN fish in the tank at some point in my life, from burbot to musky. Including an attack Pike that would jump out and land at my feet when I happened to be standing or walking by the tank, and ONLY then. He would stare at me when I was sitting on the couch also. The most intriguing would have to have been the pair of pout I had for about two years. The best all round would be the black crappie. Attractive with a big mouth and appetite and excellent temperament. Had 1 crappie for over 10 years! I don't want any quotes from the rule book. Just curious as to how common are lake caught fish as house inhabitants. What have you or do you have in your tank??IMG_20190710_230616879_LL.thumb.jpg.ce506fb3a35483d26e8aaffed47541fa.jpg20170323_173745.thumb.jpg.066a36319a14b6c0cad76b9efdb0207c.jpg20170203_114618.thumb.jpg.245c4f658446d64008b7c61b43f31327.jpg

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8 hours ago, BIGFISH.JZ said:

making me realize that it probably isn't very common to see a 10" bluegill in a fish tank.

It probably isn't very common because its illegal unless you purchased it.

 

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2 minutes ago, rundrave said:

 

It probably isn't very common because its illegal unless you purchased it.

 

What if my child transported it to my tank when it was 3" long?? Driving over the speed limit is illegal, yet 90%+ of drivers do it every day.... ? Aren't you supposed to be on HSO forum debating some political issue?

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10 minutes ago, BIGFISH.JZ said:

What if my child transported it to my tank when it was 3" long?? Driving over the speed limit is illegal, yet 90%+ of drivers do it every day.... ? Aren't you supposed to be on HSO forum debating some political issue?

I have a fishing license for Mn and also friends offline with many members here. I am sorry if that doesn't entitle me to look at fishing site about the state of Mn. 

 

I hope your kid enjoys your pet fish as much as you do.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

you forgot to mention that you were on 1.5 inches of ice when you got that oversized sunny! LOL I like the idea of a gill in my tank. 40 gallon. what would I feed it?  Gills I clean are usually flopping in the sink when I clean some. If I put one in a tank and count it as part of my limit I can always clean it later and fillet it up for Sessi. :)

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

what temp in tank works good?

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I caught 6 sunnies about 1.5 inches long in my minnow trap last year. Put them in tank but couldn't get them to eat anything.

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14 hours ago, eyeguy 54 said:

what temp in tank works good?

This particular one eats anything and everything. From minnows and worms to manufactured fish food flakes and pellets. For the most part, it takes awhile for them to get used to their new environment before they will start to eat. Usually a week or two, sometimes only a couple days. I picked a bunch of crawlers a few weeks ago and dropped them in one at a time. The sunny kept eating them until three worms were crawling out... Two out it's mouth and one that crawled the other direction... LOL. Beware that bluegills are big bullies and will harass the other fish constantly if they don't have cover. 

My tank is right next to the TV, directly in front of the couch. I watch the tank more than the TV. It's taught me a lot!! I've seen things that make people's opinions about how fish see or eat seem highly unlikely. Who better to answer your questions about fish behavior than the fish!! 

I've never heated or cooled my lake fish tank. They are pretty tough critters. Once put some frozen gills in a bucket of water to thaw and one started moving, put it in it's own bucket till it was swimming and it went into the tank. 

Edited by BIGFISH.JZ
Temp?
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On 7/11/2019 at 9:45 AM, snagfinder said:

I caught 6 sunnies about 1.5 inches long in my minnow trap last year. Put them in tank but couldn't get them to eat anything.

What size tank do you have? What did you attempt to feed them? I assume that they died, how long did it take? 

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I don't think 1.5" sunnies would be able to eat a wax worm... When I have tiny fish or large shiners I use fish food flakes. 

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I tried pieces of wax worm , corn, some kind of fish food flakes found in the garage. The first worm I dropped in got eaten that was it. Had them about a month then got rid of them.

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I'm sure they would have been fine. They can go a long time without food. I've had fish take up to 8 wks to eat anything. 

I've heard people tell me that eelpout eat a lot of crayfish, without any proof of it. My 2 pout absolutely refused to eat the crayfish OR the tiny fiddler crabs that were in the tank. But wouldn't hesitate to eat over a dozen minnows or a perch that was 2/3 the length of the pout. I would use them to test my prototype eelpout jigs and spoons, giving me more confidence about the homemade lures I created. I don't think that I will ever use a 'factory' lure for pout again.

I also came to the conclusion that vibration and sound were used more to feed than sight alone.... For any species. A minnow that swam slowly and smoothly, would last a long time in the tank. But an injured or nervous minnow would be chased endlessly or eaten immediately.

Sooo.... Nobody on this site has successfully had gamefish for pets? I guess I know that I'm not your "average fisherman", but didn't know how unique I was. I thought a place like 'FishingMinnesota.com' would be full of similar minded people, people who LIVE to fish, not just LOVE to fish. 

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On 7/11/2019 at 7:59 AM, BIGFISH.JZ said:

What if my child transported it to my tank when it was 3" long?? Driving over the speed limit is illegal, yet 90%+ of drivers do it every day.... ? Aren't you supposed to be on HSO forum debating some political issue?

90% doing it everyday does not make it legal or right. My question would be is it appropriate for an outdoor site to allow promotion of illegal activity? We have laws for reasons. If we don't like our laws, then we need to use appropriate means to make changes. 

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I had a beer on my way home from work last night. Oh snap I shouldn't have said that I might be promoting drinking and driving.

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2 hours ago, snagfinder said:

I had a beer on my way home from work last night. Oh snap I shouldn't have said that I might be promoting drinking and driving.

 

Just one!!!!!!!!  ?

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