Hi, Questions Regarding Bluegill Keeping!

[t1tanrush]

This is my first post here, I keep bettas but I am interested in getting a bluegill or 2-3..
Backround (bear with me)
When I was younger, I would always go to this camp place with my parents, there was 2 large pond/lakes near our cabins. We decided to go fishing, originally I captured a good 20-30 baby fish, all sorts of random fish, all from under the dock using a butterfly net. While fishing later, I/my dad, managed to capture a bluegill, a good 4-6 inches or something along those lines. I ended up convincing my dad to let me keep it, While getting water into the container (a gallon) I lost most of the baby fish, but got enough water to put him in. After another nights stay, we were off for home, with him and his container in the trunk.. Got home, water leaked all over, but he was alive! Ended up going into a 10-15 gallon tank by himself. We had him for like 2 years, when we were moving and had to give him away to a friend of mine.

I am interested in keeping bluegills again, I always remember how he knew me so well, was a great fish, had tons of personality, he loved the garden worms I snuck in for him. I am wondering, what size tank should I get for 1? 2? 3? What kind of tank setup would I need for them? Where would I locate a pair of captive bred bluegills, or young bluegills? Is there a place to order them, or would a shop possibly carry them? I've never seen any ever for sale..
Is there anything very close to bluegills, that are smaller and more available?

Any advice is appreciated!
Sorry for the dumb questions..

 

[IceMan569]

i have never seen one forsale i would go to a lake - stream and catch ones u like

prob need a bigger tank i have catch bluegils 10 + inches

55gal would be nice for 4-5 of them i think

sorry for not much help

 

[t1tanrush]

Hehe, I have a friend who can get me some nice ones come spring! I don't plan on catching any, I'd have no idea where to find them!
Funny thing is, I was talking to that same friend, and he said 55g could hold 5 easily, which confirms it. I know a lot of people are going to worry about aggression, but I assume that like female bettas, when kept in a group, they will establish a becking order to help even out bullying.
Although, a 75 might be an option to hehe... I need to measure a 75 and a 55, anyone know the measurements of these tanks standard?

 

[mhoward1999]

I dabbled with keeping a native species tank for a couple of years. In my opinion, the rules for bluegill would be about the same as for oscars. 20 gal for the first fish, and at least 10 each for additional fish. They are very messy and need lots of filtration. I had mine in a 55 gal tank with ugf as will as an Emperor 400 filter. That kept it decent, though I had to do water changes more frequently than even with goldfish! I will say they are very agressive. You will probably have a hard time finding other fish that can put up with them. They even picked on my flathead catfish. I had to get him his own tank. One tip is to harvest all your fish from the same location. If they are living together in nature, they will probably be compatable in your tank, though putting them in such a small container (Even a 100 gal is nothing compared to a natural pond or stream!) will affect how they get along.

I tried my first time in a 29 gallon tank with the heat running and a hob filter from wal-mart. It was a nightmare. The room smelled of fish when you walked in!!! I think the heat really ramped up the metabolism. I was keeping the temp like you would for a tropical tank! I learned a lot from that experience, and thankfully the fish didn't die from it, because I gave up and returned them to the lake after several weeks. Couldn't take the smell!

HTH! I love helping others with native tanks. They can be very rewarding.

 

[t1tanrush]

I've found a forum for native fish, and they have been very helpful aswell, if you haven't been to the site I recommend you visit:
http/forum.nanfa.org/index.php?act=idx

I'm going to get a minimum of 75g now, and I have someone who can get me some different young fish. Hopefully that will let them grow up with each other and get used to each others company and they won't fight as readily as wild caught adults from different lakes etc. Going to filter heavily and do live plants to help reduce water changes, and hopefully they won't smell bad then.

 

[mhoward1999]

I think the smell was from treating them like tropicals with my heater! LOL! Poor guys! I'm glad I released them and waited/learned a while before trying again. There was no problem with smell whatsoever the second time I tried and the only reason I gave it up was b/c of fruustration with aggression among the tankmates. I could never keep them happy with one another. I was putting in partitions and having individuals in solitary confinement. It was not a happy communtiy. After fighting it for almost a year I gave up. Not opposed to trying it again someday,though. If I find someone who has done this effectively long term.