Feeding bluegills.

[GiantVinegaroon]

I have two tiny bluegills that seem t be, to put it nicely, not very smart. I tossed in some fish flakes, which they just looked at. My crayfish has been enjoying them now. Then I added a cricket, thinking the twitching would invoke a feeding response. Still nothing. I introduced them to the tank last night, so maybe they're still adjusting? I'm not sure, so I come to you folks to hopefully get some tips.

 

[pitbulllady]

I've kept Bluegills, both little ones and adults that would have made a good meal, pan-fried, and have never had any problems getting them to eat. You might want to try some brine shrimp or blood worms if they don't eat right soon, or check the water temp. I never used any heat other than room temp in my native fish tanks, back when I was keeping fish. Of all the fist I've had, the native fresh-water species were the hardiest and easiest to keep.

pitbulllady

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

I've kept Bluegills, both little ones and adults that would have made a good meal, pan-fried, and have never had any problems getting them to eat. You might want to try some brine shrimp or blood worms if they don't eat right soon, or check the water temp. I never used any heat other than room temp in my native fish tanks, back when I was keeping fish. Of all the fist I've had, the native fresh-water species were the hardiest and easiest to keep.

pitbulllady

I've been keeping them at room temp. Don't know the exact temperature,but it's comfy for me, my T's, and other inverts!

 

[Exo]

I love bluegills......they're so tasty.

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

i caught a juvie in the drainage ditch by my house a long time ago, and never did get it to eat anything, and had to get rid of it after a few days. good luck getting yours to eat

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Well I found some small inverts to add to the tank and hoped he would eat, and guess what, he did! He seemed fond of these little red wormlike things I assume were bloodworms? I offered freeze dried and they paid no attention. The water scorpion paid attention though!

Should I consider raising bloodworms? Are they easy?

 

[Mack&Cass]

Bloodworms are not easy to raise, they have a winged midge life stage, I have no idea what the adults eat. You may be able to trap them by providing standing water for the adults to lay the eggs in. I had a pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus I believe) that happily took feeder fish, frozen food and insects I caught around the house. I would recommend the frozen food over feeder fish however, due to cost and the risks of introducing disease. Frz blooworms are a good start but I'm sure the little guy would learn to take frz krill, squid, or small fish. After they acclimate Lepomis sunfish are very bold, a lot like their distant cichlid relatives

 

[dtknow]

Not sure how big these guys are but if they are big enough try chopped red wigglers. If smaller try live blackworms. They should be easy to wean onto dried foods later.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Not sure how big these guys are but if they are big enough try chopped red wigglers. If smaller try live blackworms. They should be easy to wean onto dried foods later.

yea they don't like the freeze dried stuff. maybe i should buy frozen bloodworms? or just collect these teeny tiny inverts from my lake?

 

[pandinus]

unless youre palnning to add on a filter or a bubbler at the very least chances are very high that nothing in that KK will live long, particularly the fish, but even crayfish are very messy and need a fair amount of oxygen. the more things you add to the cage the faster the oxygen is going to get used up.



John

 

[mrbonzai211]

Fish in a KK....... I'm surprised they lived even a night.

A 55 gallon is the MINIMUM you will need if you plan to keep them. I've kept over 250 species of fish in over 12 years. Trust me I know my stuff.

But dude, if you don't have at least a 29 gallon in your house by tomorrow, then just let them go. The setup you have is just completely awful. Even pet stores are humane enough to not put non-labyrinth fish in a something as small as a KK.

 

[UrbanJungles]

But dude, if you don't have at least a 29 gallon in your house by tomorrow, then just let them go. The setup you have is just completely awful. Even pet stores are humane enough to not put non-labyrinth fish in a something as small as a KK.

:clap: :clap: :clap:

+1.
Especially if you keep throwing all of these food items in there. Your water quality goes to crap fast.

 

[sharpfang]

The Blues

They need atleast a 29 gallon tank....I agree......then a 50 gal.
I have fed them red worms and crawlers w/out refusal ever............
The biggest large mouth bass I ever caught...9 lbs.... ws w/ 4" blue gill...sorry...natural food order.......they are a game fish and not 4 bait.
But they work best if you're tryin to live offa land......Jason

 

[dtknow]

Considering bluegills get big enough that an adult will have trouble turning around in a kk def need an upgrade.

However, pygmy sunfish(Elassoma sp.) are very fun to keep and goodly numbers can live happily in a KK for their full lifespan.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Fish in a KK....... I'm surprised they lived even a night.

A 55 gallon is the MINIMUM you will need if you plan to keep them. I've kept over 250 species of fish in over 12 years. Trust me I know my stuff.

But dude, if you don't have at least a 29 gallon in your house by tomorrow, then just let them go. The setup you have is just completely awful. Even pet stores are humane enough to not put non-labyrinth fish in a something as small as a KK.

You guys are making it sound like I caught a 6 inch bluegill and tossed it in a KK. When I say these bluegill are tiny, I'm talking about fish that measure less than 1.5". I don't know if I mentioned that earlier as I type this. If not, I apologize. I should also state the KK measures about a foot long and 8 inches tall and 7 inches deep. Also, I did purchase and install a filter. The fish is feeding on small aquatic inverts and sometimes bloodworms. If the bloodworms go uneaten, they sink and the crayfish pick them up. I must be doing something right...

Oh yea, I also gave one of the bluegills away to a friend. It was picking on the other!

I am VERY aware at how big bluegills can get and understand that upgrades will be required as it grows.

 

[BrianWI]

I kept small bluegills in a bowl as a kid. Only kept them a month or so before releasing, but they seemed OK. They did learn to eat flakes.