- Joined
- Nov 15, 2003
- Messages
- 3,695
It jumping out of the tank is a sign that it shouldn't be kept in that tank, or any tank.
They aren't likely to eat fish food they EAT FISH.
Anyone ever kept a Pike as a pet?
- Thread starter SpaceHawk
- Start date
They aren't likely to eat fish food they EAT FISH.
He was in a bucket while we cleaned the tank. He's been eating tiny minnows and little tadpoles. His tank is 30 gallons and he is almost 4 inches long. I was just curious about the fish food. But we go out every day and get him food and we add creek water from the creek we caught him in to the tank weekly.
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2003
- Messages
- 3,695
You realize this fish would grow to be 3-4 feet long in nature, right? 30 gallons will not remotely be big enough. You'll need 10 times that much space.
I caught my 4 cm pike in a small pond and I plan keep him in 85 galon tank with lot of plants and driftwoods for first year. I found that its good to use fan to keep water few degrees cooler, especially when you use fluorescent light bulb. Here's a video of my setup and my pike eating few different species of fish:
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2014
- Messages
- 13,385
They don't eat just fish, they will literally eat ANYTHING they can fit in their mouths...and esoconids can actually eat other fish that are 2/3 their own size...so 30 incher can eat a 20 incher...
But it will also take time to reach such sizes. They may get big, but they start out pretty small.
Pike are kinda unique, in that small pike are really warm water fish, preferring weedy shallows, as a pike gains size, they change and become more of a cold water fish, living in deeper, cooler water...which is why big pik and small pike aren't usually found together except for those times in springf and fall where the shallows are cool.
Keep in mind, in most places, local DNR will require specific permits to keep them....generally its not an issue, but if a warden ever wanted, he could make trouble for you...generally a fish farming license is required. Catching them yourself also presents a problem in many places, as they generally have size limits that dictate what you can keep......but there does tend to be places here and there that do not have size limits, so its important to know your states and lakes laws.
IMO bass make for a much better aquarium fish.
They don't eat just fish, they will literally eat ANYTHING they can fit in their mouths...and esoconids can actually eat other fish that are 2/3 their own size...so 30 incher can eat a 20 incher...
But it will also take time to reach such sizes. They may get big, but they start out pretty small.
Pike are kinda unique, in that small pike are really warm water fish, preferring weedy shallows, as a pike gains size, they change and become more of a cold water fish, living in deeper, cooler water...which is why big pik and small pike aren't usually found together except for those times in springf and fall where the shallows are cool.
Keep in mind, in most places, local DNR will require specific permits to keep them....generally its not an issue, but if a warden ever wanted, he could make trouble for you...generally a fish farming license is required. Catching them yourself also presents a problem in many places, as they generally have size limits that dictate what you can keep......but there does tend to be places here and there that do not have size limits, so its important to know your states and lakes laws.
IMO bass make for a much better aquarium fish.
Um yea. We know this. But he wont get that big tomorrow.
Salmonsaladsandwich
Arachnolord
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2016
- Messages
- 634
If you're interested in keeping pike, there are redfin/grass pickerel (Esox americanus), which are the smallest pikes, only growing to 10-12", usually even smaller. Apart from being much smaller and needing a smaller tank, they look and behave similar to larger species, and i've read that although they prefer live food at first they can quickly learn to eat frozen food and even pellets.
NathanB
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2020
- Messages
- 76
Northern pike get BIG! You would need like a huge tank to house one. They can grow over a metre long
Rhino1
Arachnobaron
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2019
- Messages
- 490
Hey man, when I was into fishing I kept various large-growing sportfish in aquarium set ups, plastic ponds/ kids wading pools etc. Although the only experience I've had with northern pike was bowfishing for them whilst chasing Colorado elk in 2009.
Dude who cares if they grow big, just upgrade your tank size as the fish grows, no point putting a 3 inch fingerling into a 6ft tank, provide open water near the top of the tank and a good bit of structure/driftwood/rocks for him to hide in and hunt from.
The best "pet" sports fish Ive ever kept have been bass and barramundi, both were easy to hand feed and everyone that came over seemed impressed with this. Good luck
Dude who cares if they grow big, just upgrade your tank size as the fish grows, no point putting a 3 inch fingerling into a 6ft tank, provide open water near the top of the tank and a good bit of structure/driftwood/rocks for him to hide in and hunt from.
The best "pet" sports fish Ive ever kept have been bass and barramundi, both were easy to hand feed and everyone that came over seemed impressed with this. Good luck