Combining tropical tankmates with my 5 year old bluegill

[K9bash]

So i caught a baby bluebill in an aquarium net in the creek several years ago. She is at least 5 years old now and is maybe 7 inches long. I feed him cichlid pellets mostly but will treat him with wasps from my patio or minnows from the creek when available. He has done great in his 30gal but he has definitely outgrown it by now. I have a 55gal with various tropicals as well. This includes a large pleco, a 4in bristlenose pleco, 5ish tiger barbs, a few mollys (not sure they are mollys but they are that general size/temperament), two rainbow sharks (5 & 6 inches), an angelfish, and a speckled catfish (4in and fast as hell). Anyways, i am moving soon and only will be able to have one tank, so i was planning to try adding the bluegill to thw 55gal tropical tank. I am not very attached to the mollys and figure they will be eaten right away, possibly the smaller barbs as well. The rest of the fish are all technically too big to fit in the bluegills mouth i think but i am a bit worried she may kill the angelfish or possibly the sharks. The catfish is fast enough to take care of himself, but the angelfish is kind of a wimp in my opinion. The bluegill has had creek chubs (larger minnows about 4in long) housed with her in the past without issues and they are approx the same size as the sharks so I’m not too worried about them. Plecos have armor and are feisty so they should be fine too. Ultimately I don’t really have a choice and am very attached to the BG, so it will be happening at some point soon. Hopefully without too much bloodshed. What i am more interested from you guys is some advice you may have for easing the transition and minimizing stress on the sharks, speckled cat, and barbs. Id love the angelfish to thrive too but am not as hopeful. Currently there is a variety of hiding spots/decor for the tropicals to hide and get space other than the angelfish. I plan to add a log or board at an incline to provide a sort of cave for the bluegill to chill out in also. I’m on a cheap budget though and prefer diy over buying so olease keep that in mind. There will be plenty of filtration and temperature won’t be an issue. I also have a UV sterilizer running as well. Any ideas or suggestions you may have would be appreciated or similar experiences you may have had. Thanks!
-Kyler.
(Also this is my first post so sorry if i don’t do somethig right or break some forum rules etc)

 

[OrionGirl]

I get it, but IMO, this isn't a combination that will work. Bluegill are very territorial, and it will rip up the tropicals.

 

[the loach]

Also it is not a good idea to mix temperate and tropical fish for a number of reasons.

 

[Sploke]

Ultimately I don’t really have a choice and am very attached to the BG, so it will be happening at some point soon. Hopefully without too much bloodshed. What i am more interested from you guys is some advice you may have for easing the transition and minimizing stress on the sharks, speckled cat, and barbs. Id love the angelfish to thrive too but am not as hopeful.

So based on this, it sounds like you're going to move ahead with your plan regardless of what advice you get to the contrary...I, like the other posters, don't hold out much hope for most of your other fish. It sounds like you are going to put them all together and hope for the best. It's going to be rough on the fish.

As far as easing the transition, if you can move the tropicals first and let them get established for a few weeks, then introduce the bluegill, that might help, but ultimately I think you're just delaying the inevitable. Once the bluegill gets established it is going to run roughshod over anything else you have in the tank.

What temp and water parameters are you shooting for with this mixed tank? The two tanks you have now must be fairly disparate in those respects?

 

[Mr.RoadWarrior]

Why don't you try to get a female Bluegill? If you could get them to breed, just watching them build the nest would be a very positive experience.

Agree on all the above advice on tropicals, not only will you be compromising them from a water chemistry/temp standpoint, but somebody gonna die real fast.

Good luck!

 

[K9bash]

Thank you for the above replies. The tanks currently only differ in temperature, which is on the lower end of the suitable range for tropicals. The bluegill does just fine anywhere from 45° to up to 76° (highest and lowest the water has been over the years) and only changes in activity level like it would in the wild. I do not think water conditions will be an issue in that regard. I do know that the mollys will get eaten, possibly the tiger barbs as well. I know that may seem cruel but other than different species, is not unlike the natural diet. I would like for the sharks, speckled catfish, and plecos to survive though. I know the plecos will be fine and it isn’t that unusual for them. The cat and sharks are much more in uncharted territory though. The sharks spend most of their current time guarding over their respective skull decorations in the 55gal. I don’t think the bluegill will try to eat them as they are too big. The catfish is agile enough to hide and escape but i would prefer to not stress him out too much. I know its not a good idea but i don’t have much choice. Is there a way you can think to boost the chances of survival for the cat/sharks whether with additional hiding spots or even something that might distract/pacify the bluegills aggression? Like i said before tho, the bluegill has had tankmates in the past without any issues as long as they were too big to be eaten

 

[SnakeIce]

The issue with comparing the previous tank mates the bluegill has had and the proposed tank mates is the aggression level between them isn't comparable. I have had creek chubs and they have attitude similar to the bluegill just less size and equipment to express it.. The sharks may not be eaten but they may not deal with the push from the bluegill like the natives did.

 

[Sploke]

"Too big" isn't really in sunfish vocabulary. I've had my toes nipped by bluegill while swimming in a pond. I'm obviously too big for a bluegill to eat, but it doesn't keep them from trying. While the bluegill may not be able to outright kill and swallow the larger fish, it is certainly capable of basically nipping/harassing them to death.

 

[K9bash]

Has anyone had much success or heard of ways of curbing some of the bluegills aggressiveness? I plan to implement a an additional cave or hideaway spot when i combine them. Would you think a larger space that the bluegill could claim/occupy would be better or one that with a smaller opening that the bluegill won’t be able to enter, so that the others could use as potential escape?

 

[K9bash]

The bluegill is a female which i think should be a good thing since its less territorial than a male would. If i make sure to keep em all well fed will that help?