Muskellunge in 250g

[Gambusia]

There is nothing in the NCWRC law saying you can't keep gamefish in home aquaria.

It's just that you have to abide by certain laws and limits if obtaining your fish from INLAND PUBLIC WATERS.

 

[TONO]

If this guy can afford to feed a beast like that, he could definetly put up the cash for a massive tank. If you don't it's just a bad idea.

 

[illiswiller]

Well I guess it certainly is legal then. You sound well-informed about your local laws Gambusia. It seems like a lot of people don't even think about it. So I'll concede the legality of it....I suppose none of our beloved fishies were "meant" to swim in a box even the neon tetras and bettas have large ecosystems w/ running water.

I still feel though that (except for mistakes / personality issues) you should buy a pet for it's lifetime. And some wild animals are not meant to be pets. I wouldn't let someone take home a puppy or kitten and keep it till it got too big or too demanding......why should fish be so different? And I definitely wouldn't think a tiger or wolf cub should be allowed in a home till it got too big (even if I could afford to feed and house it).

Don't you think if we can't provide a good, comfortable home for the entire life of the animal then we shouldn't acquire the animal in the first place?

 

[jonathan03]

And oy vey, what about the food bill? It must be staggering. I don't think these guys even bother with feeders after they reach a certain size. When I was younger and into sportfishing, I read accounts of Muskies eating duck hatchlings and baby muskrats. That translates into lots of boneless chicken breast or frozen haddock, neither of which is cheap.

Not only ducks, but there are stories of muskies biting someone's foot in the water. Just think the next time you hang your feet off the side of the boat I'm not sure if these are true, but I could see it happen. If you have ever fished for musky they come right up to the boat and look at the lure. You have to do a firgure 8 to get them to bite.

Also, it has been found that mukie prefer to eat food that is 1/3 their own body weight. They seem similiar ot a snake in that way.

Maybe you should look at a few guide services like this one:
http://www.kymuskie.com/

I'm not sure how well these fish will do after you release them. An aquarium is nothing like the wild. There will be some obvious water differences and food availibity. In addition, there are certain place you can ever consider releasing this fish. Someone would be really upset if you let it go in their 1 acre bluegill pond. Even some lakes that stock muskie, stock tiger muskie - a muske pike mix. This is done so they won't reproduce and the population can be controlled. There are some serious side effects that can occur when stocking a massive predator like this. You relaly have to look into it first or you will end up with only one fish in the whole pond.

 

[benedictj]

Jonathan is right, there are serious issues with simply releasing a muskie into any pond. These guys don't live just anywhere, they require a very specific biotope. In fact, I'd wager that the majority of the waters in NC aren't equipped to handle them. While it is a pale comparison in terms of climate, I grew up in Vermont, which has a very diverse set of lakes and rivers ( north flowing, south flowing. Warm water lakes and one that is actually still feed from deeply buried melting glacial ice). I know from spending time in NC, that there are similar "warm water" and "cold water" lakes and rivers. To my knowledge, muskies only inhabited two places in the state of VT, both of which some of the largest lakes east of the great lakes (Champlain- "the 6th great lake" and Memphramagog).

Anyway, that is all just to say that re-introducing tank raised muskies is probably a bad idea. Not only could you putting a biotope at risk, but there is also the issue of whether the fish in question will be properly acclimated to surviving in the wild. Also, while it may not be illegal to keep game fish, you should probably look into whether it is illegal to re-introduce them after keeping them in captivity. (also, I can almost garuntee that it is illegal to introduce any fish into a naturally occuring body of water in which it is not endemic or stocked by Fish and Wildlife.)

 

[Gambusia]

In NC muskie were only found in the Tennessee drainages of the mountains.

They also have been stocked into Lakes James and Adger on the Atlantic Slope.

So if you can find a river being currently stocked with muskie like the Cane River or the French Broad you could just release them there.

It is still legal to do that in NC although that is soon to change.

Almost all musky populations in NC are maintained by stocking. The spawning habitat has changed so much that little natural reproduction occurs.

It occurs but not enough to keep the populations going according to the fisheries biologists.

 

[mindtonic]

Juvenile muskies could easily be kept in a 250 until they got too big.

Then you just release them in a private pond or fishing lake.

Many game departments keep musky until they reach a certain size- usually 14 inches- and then stock them.

I'd be careful about releasing a musky into any water that doesn't already sustain a population. Releasing a musky into a small private pond could decimate the existing fish population. Most panfish, trout, and smaller bass would be little more than a mid day snack for a musky.

 

[cjdirri]

No idea why anyone would want even have on in a tank, I fish them every year and I think they are pretty **** ugly.

 

[Nathane959]

You fish them and you think they are ugly ? Man, you are definitly entitled to your opinion, but dont know many people that would agree with you.
Today I got ahold of a guy that has raised them in tanks, he had a 300g, after 3 years they reached 18 inches. Muskies will outgrow a tank this size, but takes years, and depends how much you feed. 18 inches is not to long for my 8 foot tank. Muskies diet consists mainly of minnows, and minnows are dirt cheap. I talked to a co-worker that has a 3 acre stocked pond, has said hed take them.
He stated theyll be very healthy for his fish population. Anyway, if he decides he doesnt want them, it is legal in the state of Missouri to realease the fish into any lake or stream that the species already inhabits.The Mississippi River, being pretty close would probably be my choice, and there is a few others.
Another thing, I live in Missouri and the Conservation Department has had great success stocking them in various areas around the state becuase they are a very adaptable, durable species. Theyve moved to Muskellunge after failing with Northern Pike. Northern Pike cannot handle the warmer water temperatures here but the musky can. Both are from the same family as are Pike cichlids, and Pike cichlids are some of the toughest cichlids around.
Ive had pike cichlids in the past, basically when it comes to this species, put them in water, and theyll live. Very versatile fish that will even breed in various water perameters. I hardly think very specific water perameters will be an issue.

 

[Z Man]

I've been waiting for someone to mention Pike Cichlids! They are in no way related. The reason Crenicichla are called pikes is because they resemble the Esox masquinongy (Musky) & Esox lucieus (Northern Pike) in shape and aggressiveness.