Pumpkinseed And Perch

[tetraman]

I have a local pond thet is stuffed to the gills with pumpkinseed. You can just drop your fishing line under a bush and they bite. The same type of thing applies to another pond, but with perch. Could either a pumpkinseed or a few perch be kept in a 20 gallon tank? I know I would need a heater or fish food, since I could feed them bugs. I would also like to hear if they are good, exciting pets.

 

[nmonks]

Both make good aquarium fish, but they need a lot of space. I assume you're in the US? In this case, the perch, Perca flavescens, can get to about 50 cm in length. Adults are very territorial and aggressive towards other perch, and predatory towards smaller fish.

Pumpkinseeds are smaller (~20 cm) and much more peaceful. They are fun aquarium fish and easy to keep. Sunfish generally are surprisingly predatory (I've made the mistake of keeping 5 cm juvenile green sunfish with neons...) so choose tankmates with care. On the plus side, my green sunfish were outgoing, quick to learn, and very entertaining.

Neither needs a heater, and in fact will do best at room temperature, with a bit of a drop during the winter. Bugs and such make a fine supplement, but you do want to get them onto flake or frozen food as well. During the winter, bugs will be in short supply.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[tetraman]

About how much room would one pumpkinseed need? You were hinting that was the better choice.

 

[CAC]

Can you keep english perch in an aquarium?
What size tank do you need?
Behind my house (litterally 50M) is a huge pond, that i have a licence to fish in, so i was wondering weather they would die if i tryed it?

Thanks, Mikey

 

[nmonks]

For a pumpkinseed you'd need a tank comparable to that for a large goldfish, which is about the same size and mass. Baensch (vol. 1) describes this species and recommends a tank at least 80 cm long.

European perch, Perca fluviatilis, does well in aquaria. It's very tolerant of room temperature water provided the tank isn't over-stocked. Basically treat it like any other large coldwater fish. They school when young, but are very short-tempered as adults. They do look fantastic though!

Cheers,

Neale

 

[CAC]

Could i consider them for my 32G???
How big do they get?
what would i feed them?

Mikey

 

[nmonks]

In a 32 gal. you could keep a few juveniles I suppose, but a 32 gal. is a tank for a pair of kribs or orange chromides. European perch get to 50 cm long, and would barely fit into a 32 gal., let alone be happy in it.

They're predators. Juveniles eat worms and insects, adults eat smaller fish. They will take dead foods but not flake or pellets. European perch are in vol. 1 of Baensch, and probably in other books, too. They are fairly widely kept in zoos and labs, but because of their size they have never become popular among aquarists.

Neale

Could i consider them for my 32G???
How big do they get?
what would i feed them?

 

[Fella]

Just as a side comment, with the European perch (which i've considered keeping myself many times!) I would be sure that you are providing plenty of oxygen. Typically english native fish struggle in aquaria from what I can gather because of oxygen problems rather than other reasons. An airstone, or filter turbulence I would consider a must for these fish.

 

[CAC]

Ok thanks for the info from both of you, but it sounds like it would be abit hard to keep them, because id have to release them again, and also, if i hurt them when catching, then i would have to heal them in the aquarium...
Thanks anyway (+ they get too big...!!)

 

[tetraman]

So, perch sounds like a no-no, but could I put a pumpkinseed in a 20 gallon tank?

 

[nmonks]

If you want to try something similar, but smaller, consider the blackbanded sunfish. It is a small (8-10 cm) perch that looks a bit like a cross between an angelfish and a convict cichlid. It is fairly easy (and legal) to obtain in the UK. Wholesale Tropicals in London, for example, regularly has them in stock. They are true coldwater fish, very lively, but also extremely predatory, so be careful what you put with them. White cloud mountain minnows, for example, would probably end up as food. Paradise fish would be fine, as would the larger (7 cm +) coldwater danios (Devario spp.) if you can find them.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[tetraman]

Could somebody answer my question!? Could I put a pumpkinseed in a 20 gallon tank?

 

[nmonks]

I thought I answered it right at the top by saying that pumpkinseeds get to 20 cm long. Would you keep a 20 cm fish in a tank 50-60 cm long? No.

Cheers,

Neale

Could somebody answer my question!? Could I put a pumpkinseed in a 20 gallon tank?

 

[tetraman]

All you guys from the UK, stop using the !#@*ing metric system!

 

[nmonks]

Why? It's the most widely used system on the planet, and is universal in science and engineering. The metric system is easy to add up, divide, and multiply. It's intuitive and easy to learn. What's the problem?

Neale

All you guys from the UK, stop using the !#@*ing metric system!