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coppernose blue gill growth

I just put 1000 coppernose bluegill fingerlings (4 LBS) in my 1000 gal tank. Can anyone tell me how fast they will grow and gain wieght? I won't be over feeding them, but in a cage or tank setting they tend to grow alot slower then in the wild. I know in the wild they can grow to the size of your hand in 6 months, but can take up to a year in a tank. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

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Permalink Reply by George on April 1, 2012 at 8:02pm

I think it misinformation, the idea that fish, any fish, will grow faster in the wild. Based upon my short experience with Coppernose and the experience of others who have written on this site, 1 pound per year may be realistic for the majority of your fish, although they will not all grow at the same rate.

Permalink Reply by William Mancuso on April 1, 2012 at 8:54pm

thank you for your response. The fela I bought the fish from told me the info posted. From what you and some others have told me it would seem I have some bluegill to get rid of shortly.

Permalink Reply by TCLynx on April 1, 2012 at 8:58pm

We got our bluegill about a year ago. We started eating them about a month ago. Some are up over 8 oz and many we have harvested were about 6 oz. there are still many smaller in the tank.

How fast they grow for you will vary by temperatures through the year and the feed they are getting as well as water quality and dissolved oxygen levels.

1/3 rd of a pound is a pretty common harvest size for bluegill and a 8 oz bluegill is a nice size. If you are actually managing to grow out bluegill to over 1 lb in a year, that is pretty impressive.

Permalink Reply by George on April 27, 2012 at 8:57am

I guess I misinterpreted one of your posts somewhere along the way and thought yours would be approaching a pound after about a year. Mine have been in the tank 4 months now and although they are growing rapidly, they're still small. It's truly amazing how much they vary in size too. I'm serious about selective breeding so maybe we'll see what they're capable of eventually. Hope the move is going well.

TCLynx said: If you are actually managing to grow out bluegill to over 1 lb in a year, that is pretty impressive.

Permalink Reply by TCLynx on April 30, 2012 at 8:14am

Bluegill are definitely edible size at 1/3rd of a pound and I had some over 1/2 a pound in less than a year (but that was like 10 months from stocking them as fingerlings.) If you are expecting consistent grow out to 1 lb, they are probably a two year fish and yes they vary greatly in growth rates.

Permalink Reply by George on May 19, 2012 at 4:52pm

After my short experience (about 5 months) with bluegill in a tank and the reading I've done, I've come to believe that genetics determines how big fish get, provided they have a healthy environment, plenty of food, etc. I've been amazed at the variance of growth rates in my tank and I'm really looking forward to picking out some breeders. Maybe I'll have a pair like the couple shown below someday, or, I hope, bigger, quite a bit bigger. Regards to all.