new tank ideas

musky48in

musky48in

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Feb 24, 2004
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I have recently received a 55g tank and ordered new filtration (eheim 2026), a heater, air pump, and all of the other goodies. I had originally set up for tropical fish, but the more that I think, the more that I would like to stock it with musky, northern, or sunnies. I have 0 experience with these fish other than fishing for them on a daily basis here in wisconsin. Do these fish grow to the size of the tank or is this just a bad idea with the size of tank that I have? I have a feeling that they will grow just like a bala shark and get too big for the tank. also being new to coldwater; what temps to I have to maintain and what are the water peramitors that I have to watch for?
 
Being that you fish for muskies and pike, I'm guessing you know how big they can get. Considering a standard 55 gallon tank is only 48 inches long, and muskies and pike can grow to at least 40 and 30 inches, respectively (those are the lengths for citations here in Virginia), on the surface the answer would be no. However, you could probably keep one smaller specimen per tank for a short period of time. The argument is usually made here that you never release a fish you keep in a home aquarium into the wild. This is due to the fact that the fish will introduce diseases or over take wild populations. However, if you have set up a new tank with new equipment and introduce a fish (after cycling, of course) from the wild, then there aren't going to be any diseases in your tank to introduce to it. This is why among people that keep native fish the standard rule with fish that get too big to keep for their entire life span is to get a young specimen in the spring, keep it for the summer, and release it into it's native waters in the fall before the temperatures drop drastically. However, the problem with this is that often young specimens are under the size limit to legally creel, so you may need a special permit to creel a smaller specimen. One way around this would be if there is a private fish hatchery within a reasonable distance of your home. Then you could buy a young specimen there, but then you would probably have to release it into privately owned waters. When you say sunnies, I assume you're refering to sunfish such as bluegill, redears, and pumpkinseeds. As opposed to muskies and pike, you could probably keep these in a 55 gallon aquarium. You could probably keep two, but one would probably be better since these fish are territorial, and three would probably be pushing it. I'd like to keep a bluegill in an aquarium myself, and have thought about it some, so I'll tell you what I would do if I had the space for another 55 gallon tank. To start with the, decor would be natural gravel with maybe couple of larger rocks near the rear. I would try to incorporate some type of root structure since sunfish like cover, and also some additional drift wood. I don't think I would go for any type of vegetation, except maybe some kind of taller grass in the rear. In addition to the sunfish, I'd add a school of minnows and maybe a couple of crawdads or salamanders from the same water the sunfish came from. You could probably add minnows from a bait shop or whatever, but I'd be sure to keep them in a seperate tank and treat any disease before introducing them into the larger one. Most sunfish are able to withstand a large range of temperatures, but I believe between 70-75 is the best. So room temperature would be all you would need to keep them. Anyway, sorry if this is long winded, but hopefully it will help. I know there is a message board somewhere on the internet devoted to people who keep native fish, but I can't remember the name of it. If you do a search on keeping native fish you should be able to find some stuff.
 
Thank you very much for all of the information that you gave. I have found a supplier that will basically give me the fish that I want. I think he told me that he would sell musky for .30 cents an inch. He has them starting around two inches. Do you think that I might be able to get two years out of them in my tank? I do have a private 50 acre pond that I have already gotten permission to release musky in. I'm also sure that they wouldn't have a problem with bass, walleye, bluegill, or pearch. I've only been told not to introduce Northerns (pike). I was hoping to keep them a couple of years though. Think that is possible?
 
I have checked to see if they were legal and they are. So I'm ok on that front. I also am pretty sure that if I am releasing these fish into a private pond that I am ok too.I think the only thing that I have to be carful of is the trasport of the fish from the tank to the pond. I think at that point I am transporting undersize fish so I might need to bring receipts with when I do that. I'll check with the DNR on that before I even get this going.
 
You seem to have really thought about this a lot, and for that I commend you!

I used to keep a couple of small gar in my 55, along with a very small channel cat and a pleco... and traded all but the sucker in when the gar were about 7 inches long each because they were obviously going to outgrow the tank within another year. That, and to be honest, they were kinda boring. All they did was sit there. It was fun to watch them hunt though....

I have often thought about going for a bluegill or pumpkinseed tank, with 1, maybe 2 very small (baitfish sized) specimens to grow out... I just haven't gotten around to it. Panfish are VERY aggressive and territorial, so it would be hard for me because I wouldn't wanna give up my pleco :)

In any case, I do agree that keeping "other" native wildlife in your tank would be a nice way to fill out the void while your fish grows up. Small fish like madtoms, dace, etc., as well as crayfish, snails, and native aquatic plants (check your laws on all of these, please) are free for the taking provided you have a fishing/collection permit. Just be very sure to take ID photos or a book with you so that you don't inadvertantly pick up an endangered species and get yourself arrested for the sake of your hobby :)

Unless you're planning to be releasing fish every few months into that private pond, you are pretty well limited to the smaller game fish like panfish, or maybe, just MAYBE a bass. For temperatures, most NA game fish are pretty open on their water conditions. I have caught them in warm Florida phosphate pits as well as Douglas Lake in Tennessee, and I know the bluegill ranges all the way into Canada, so they can withstand a lot of different temperatures. I am pretty sure most panfish species are most comfortable in the low 70's/high 60's, about like a goldfish should like. If you keep your house pretty cool, room temperature should suffice. I think musky and pike like it cold, so you may run into a large expense with a setup similar to deep-saltwater with a chiller involved. But if you're gonna go for that, why not spring for a 400 gallon tank you can keep a musky in for life? :)

Good luck to you on this! NA natives are just as beautiful and interesting as any fish you can buy at your LFS...
 
Alot of the panfish will appreciate lower temperatures and may initiate breeding if the temps drop low enough. Go to your local slough, collect either humilis or cyanellus, small ones, and let them grow up in the 55. 6 or so will establish a good enough hiearchy. Eventually one may kill everyone else, but that's why you have an unlimited supply right outside!
 
A musky will do fine until he gets too big for the tank.

Then put him in the lake.

I am a fisherman and I keep gamefish.

Right now I have 2 Florida gar, 1 hybrid sunfish, 1 channel catfish, 1 longear sunfish, and 1 green sunfish.

I used to have a smallmouth bass but it died from a skin infection and I had a bluegill.
 
my bluegill

hi, new here.

just wanted to add my experience with my local fish.

i have a 30 gal. tall that i decided to set up with a motley crew of specimen. i caught a bluegill -3" (pumpkinseed perhaps?) in a midwestern creek that's a tributary to the Mississippi. i won't say more about location because i didn't have the forsight to check the local laws, and it's a bit too late now...

anyway, his tankmates are a small loach-type fish -1.5" and a crawdad -2" that were caught in the same creek, some feeder guppies, and a dragonfish -10" (not an arowana, but a violet goby).

the tank has small/medium gravel, larger pourous rock "aquired" from the same creekbed, java ferns, swords, and water sprite which floats along the surface.

all of the fish coexist peacefully and the bluegill is the smartest, most inquisitive fish i've ever kept. he eats frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp so far, as well as snails as long as i crush the shells. he (or she) is literally eating from my hand, i'll crush a snail between my fingers and he nips it right off of my fingertip. but his favorite is the bloodworms.

i was wondering if anyone had ideas as to what other tropical fish could be kept with him (the only reason i have guppies is because the ones that are left are too big to eat and they hide in the water sprite).

and if anyone has questions i may be able to answer i'm all ears

thanks
 
cool cold water

Ever think of stickle backs most only get about four to five inches. darters are nice too very colourful.
 
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