A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

Feeding Bluegill

I have about 50 Bluegill bought as fingerlings in early April from Florida Fish Farms. Growth has been uneven but I see everyone commenting on that so I won't worry. Mine seem to eat differently though, they won't take anything off the surface. The return from the sump tank is a couple of inches above the surface and sets up a swirl pattern, and the pellets get caught and carried about 6 inches below the surface. The fish line up and chase the pellets through the current. Does anyone else see behavior like this? I have seen the instructions to feed what they will eat in 5 minutes but this eating pattern takes a lot longer than just 5 minutes. Is there any problem with this behavior, or should I just enjoy the show? They are very quick and nimble so it is interesting to watch.

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Permalink Reply by TCLynx on December 11, 2012 at 6:47pm

I have experienced this with bluegill too. It seems when I first got my first batch of small bluegill they would hit food on the surface and splash and when I moved 100 of them into a new system they ate and splashed at the surface lots. Later after we harvested the first bunch, they didn't seem to eat much anymore. Now since I moved the old bluegill that we still have from that first batch, I never see them eat anymore. As long as they are growing and the water quality is good, I wouldn't worry, enjoy the show.

Permalink Reply by Matt T. on December 11, 2012 at 6:55pm

Frank, I don't think I would worry to much. As long as they are eating. I have about 25 gills, and some eat and grow faster then the others. They must have some sort of a pecking order like birds at a feeder. The bigger ones are always there first, and the runts last. As for the five minute rule, I just feed them until they slow down, trying to sprinkle some for the more aggresive ones, while I throw a little to the side for the smaller individuals. I have heard that it may be best to feed several small meals a day, as opposed to one big feeding. Less wasted food at the bottom of the ft. Your current may cause them to wait for the food to sink. Maybe they see it better? Bright lights may be the cause to. I have to remove a cover on my ft before I feed them, and I let their eyes adjust to the light for a few minutes before I feed. It is always best to under feed, than to over feed, as a rule of thumb.

Permalink Reply by Frank Cates on December 11, 2012 at 6:59pm

Actually, the pellets swirl around at the surface and get carried down by the current, the fish take them out of the current, after I put the cover back over that side. It takes a while for all of the pellets to get caught and eaten so I don't really have any idea if I am over feeding or under feeding. Sometimes there are still some pellets at the next feeding, I pull those out and toss them before putting the fresh ones in.

Permalink Reply by George on December 11, 2012 at 7:23pm

My bluegill don't feed on the surface and with a 4-feet deep tank which is mostly covered, I can't see much feeding going on, the exception being my one largemouth bass - he ate one worm and one lizard today. No problem seeing him eat.

Permalink Reply by TCLynx on December 11, 2012 at 7:23pm

If you are seeing food floating come the next feeding, then you should feed a little less per feeding.

And if you can wander past 15 minutes after feeding and peak and if there isn't any feed left over, then at the next feeding you might feed a tiny bit more.

Permalink Reply by Daniel on December 13, 2012 at 3:40pm

If my bluegill fingerlings are really hungry - i.e. water warms up to at least 60 deg and I haven't fed for at least 24 hours, they tend to start hitting the pellets as soon as I drop them into the water. Usually however, I put the pellets into the water, wait for them to begin getting soft, and then start crushing the pellets with my fingers. The crushed pellets sink in little pieces, and then the bluegill go after them immediately. I'm hoping I won't have to keep manually crushing the pellets when my bluegill get bigger, but for now I found they eat better once the pellets are smaller size and start to sink.

Permalink Reply by Frank Cates on December 15, 2012 at 8:36pm

Well, most of this week they did very well eating but this morning not so good, although it was the coolest day of the week. I experimented a bit with getting the pellets to the bottom of the tank and releasing them to see if the fish would chase after them but only a few did so I am not going to worry about it. If anything else weird happens I will post, otherwise I will assume we are ok. Thanks for the replies.