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Forum nameFreshwater Fishing in California
Topic subjectwhat do i feed my bluegill in my aquarium?
Topic URLhttp://www.calfishing.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=3&topic_id=10773
10773, what do i feed my bluegill in my aquarium?
Posted by mylessterrett, Thu Aug-14-03 08:38 PM
I have four little 3" bluegill in my 20 gallon aquarium and was wondering what i should feed them?
10776, RE: what do i feed my bluegill in my aquarium?
Posted by dilbertman2001, Fri Aug-15-03 06:37 AM
matbe some small bits of worms or aquatic insects...once they are about 7" you can feed them minnows...i once had a 8" bluegill jump 2 feet out of a pool that was 5 inches deep to get my 2" minnow that was being rigged on my hook...
10786, RE: what do i feed my bluegill in my aquarium?
Posted by dmitc, Fri Aug-15-03 02:48 PM
Try some small crickets.
10806, RE: what do i feed my bluegill in my aquarium?
Posted by Hawgsticker, Sun Aug-17-03 11:26 PM
Dude I just feed mine redworms. They are pretty cheap and I don't have to chase them down. Not to mention the fact that they don't have six evil little legs and those nasty antenae(sp?). ummm Not that I have a problem with crickets...cringe...no problem at all. Im a man and all. No reason to fear........ nevermind just feed them redworms!!!! ;)
10807, RE: what do i feed my bluegill in my aquarium?
Posted by bluechalice, Mon Aug-18-03 12:02 AM
You can feed them almost anything and they will grow big and fat....bread crumbled into little balls, lettuce, (I have once seen on tv a cheese maker feed little cheese balls to his bluegills), a tub of 100 small meal worms for $1.50( I find that feeding meal worms leaves a lot of mess in the aquarium...the "shells" from the meal worms gets discarded and float around in the tank and also clog up your filter fast....
You can also take a dip net with micro mesh and scoop up some weeds in a pond and then shake it in a bucket of water...you will dislodge a lot of SCUDS....little crustaceans....high in protein...they are also excellent bait for panfish...possibilities are endless....by the way...where did you get your bluegills?
A bluegill bully will emerge soon...and peck at the rest of the fish....
10808, RE: what do i feed my bluegill in my aquarium?
Posted by Hawgsticker, Mon Aug-18-03 02:43 AM
Not sure if you were asking me but the two I have I rescued from a sorry excuse of a landscaping pond. The kind Koi are usually found in. They were originally from the Merced River. Very beautiful fish although they are very shy. These fish almost always are displaying the dark vertical bars down their sides. BTW mine wont even look at bread. I used to catch them by the hundreds on little balls of bread when I was a kid....go figure
10812, RE: what do i feed my bluegill in my aquarium?
Posted by hooksetter, Mon Aug-18-03 01:33 PM
I once had a couple of two pound bluegill of the florida shell cracker variety in a 100 gallon tank. They loved crawdads the best along with anything else that would swim and fit in their mouths. Bloodworms will work fine too. You can buy them in little frozen cubes that dissolve in the water and the gills will mow them down real quick.
10813, RE: what do i feed my bluegill in my aquarium?
Posted by FishStew, Mon Aug-18-03 04:39 PM
I have a bluegill and a bass in my aquarium and they will eat just about anything....goldfish if you can find really small ones, worms, bugs, even bread and cheese. If your bluegill wont eat certain things like bread or anything else just give him a few days....he will get hungry and he will eat. Mine wouldnt eat for the first 5 days I had him but his stomach finally got the best of him and now he is a swimming stomach.

-Matt
10817, RE: what do i feed my bluegill in my aquarium?
Posted by JCAB, Mon Aug-18-03 07:53 PM
Dude, I have had Bass and Bluegills eat just about anything that moves. Just make sure whatever you feed them fits in their mouth or are the same size as their bodies. You would be surprised at how these fish can eat big things. Well, if saving money is an issue feed them cut pieces of night-crawlers. If health is your concern feed them guppies or small minnows. Have fun.
10818, RE: what do i feed my bluegill in my aquarium?
Posted by JCAB, Mon Aug-18-03 08:07 PM
Another thing is that these Bluegills are pretty aggresive ; so, if you keep them in a tank make sure the fish that are in there with them can handle getting bit or can protect themselves. Bluegills are not considered Community Fish.
10820, RE: what do i feed my bluegill in my aquarium?
Posted by bluechalice, Mon Aug-18-03 10:08 PM
The bluegills will eat anything....depending on how you got them...if you hooked them...give them a day or two....you can add salt to the tank to help facilitate healing...But if your fish wont eat....just have to let starve them a little...not to be mean...but it works...thats what they do at fish farms....even Largemouth bass will eat pellets...if you pellet train them...its heartbreaking thought to see them with their empty stomachs....going all skinny...I think one of the most nutritious food is the Grass shrimp...at the pet store I go to they cost $1 for 8 shirmps...about 1 inch....really expensive...I was wondering if anyone knows any local lakes with populations of grass shirmps in it....I'd like to get some...
10856, RE: what do i feed my bluegill in my aquarium?
Posted by NoTrollMotor, Fri Aug-22-03 11:57 AM
I have one that will jump 1 1/2 inches out of the water for wax worms. He likes guppies next (22 in one day), followed by crickets and bloodworms. When he gets a little bigger, we're going to goldfish. He'll eat just about anything from the animal kingdom. Spits out tetra-min and all that other vegetarian crap.

When I get cheap, I feed him raw hamburger.