Perch Keeping

Being in a dorm situation myself (well, not this coming semester) I will speak from experience when I say that you do not want to commit to fish that need something than a 20L for its entire lifespan. Especially since it looks like you have a lot of other fish to deal with...some of which need to be rehomed in the future already. It's too hard to predict what situation you will be in over the next 4 or more years, both financially and in terms of space.
 
I pretty much agree with the rest of the posters. Yellow(lake) perch can top out at 14+". I have caught 13" myself. So, the 20l will last only so long. I agree with a 75g tank minimum. That would allow 5 full grown perch. Don't mix your natives with other fish and don't use a heater. As for food pretty much what JRR stated, I would get your food( worms, minnows, etc.) from a bait store as they will be much cheaper than an lfs. They will grow faster in your tank than in the wild due to the warmer water increasing metabolism and the fact that it will stay constant they will continue to grow constantly, as opposed to being in a natural lake where seasons affect growth rates. They are neat fish to keep,especially with a school since you will witness their natural behaviors more. Also, IME I would not keep them with other natives such as bluegill. Perch are alot less aggressive than gills and will have a harder time getting to the food. I did notice that when I kept them, their colors would change depending on their mood, being more vibrant when hungry and more pale when fed and content.
 
the issue here is maximum size. 14" is too long for a 55 gallon tank, which makes 75 the logical minimum for even one.
 
J double R said:
You'd be looking at 6 months MAX in a setup 20g or smaller. Less time for less tank volume. Yellow Perch (the kind you catch in the US) grow to around 10 inches max, but in their 11 year lifespan, can actually double that size (though it is rare). Personally, you wouldnt find me keeping any panfish in a tank smaller than 75-100 gallons, with 75 being a temporary setup.

Then again.. If I had any kind of sizeable perch, it would be in my frying pan... :D
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Yellow perch grow a whole lot bigger than 10". 10" is a small fish I regularly fish perch and anything less than 14-15" gets thrown back. Perch up to 18" are actually pretty common.
 
Well, I'm sure I will have something decently large by the time it gets that large; theoretically, I could have an apartment as early as the winter, (which means all the space I want for aquariums!) but it depends on who would live with me, haha, as well as the school's guidelines. I know for sure I'll have one by next May (not really a choice there), but again, by the time it gets large enough I should have as much space as I want. I really REALLY just don't wanna miss out on this opportunity lol
 
Also, for future reference, what about Bluegills, smallmouth or anything else I might catch? lol You know, while we're on the subject. Might as well; I like to fish and if this is successful, I would try more!
 
You are probably better off starting with darters or other stream fish until you will consistently have space for a 75+ gallon aquarium.
 
Alrighty then; problem with that is, there's no streams around campus, only the Genesee river, haha...and I was referring to future endeavors, not this one. But thank you anyway and thanks for the help!
 
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