Just got my first Bluegill

[TCLynx]

We called Florida Fish Farms [phone] today as we wanted to know if they would have any catfish available soon.  Well it seems they won't have those for some tine but they do have Bluegill.  The bluegill fingerlings are really small but it was time for more fish and we decided to take what we could get.

 

I can now call myself a Bluegill grower and hopefully I'll have good experience with them to share with everyone over time.

 

We did get extra fish so if people are interested in some small bluegill orders in 6-8 weeks I might be talked into selling some off seeing as I haven't been able to do the large group order on the catfish.  Now if your system can handle 100+ fish, then you might as well get them from Florida Fish Farms but I know that most new small systems are not designed to handle eve 50 fish let alone 100 so let me know if you are looking for a small batch of fish this summer to get a new system going.  Of course that is if you are in Florida and can come to visit and have a container and aerator for the ride home.

[Jim Tinker]

Hey TC

 

been growing 100 bluegill now for almost a year..... they grow at different rates as some are 8" long and the smallest is around 4" long... 

 

they put on a good show at feeding time if they are hungry... I usually wait until tour people are looking at them and toss a handful of food in and the splashing starts LOL...

 

jT

[B. Pearcy]

Did you get coppernose?

[Gary Lanning]

Hi Jim

We've been raising bluegills in our Advanced Biology class for a year and a half now. We have 50 and have the same experience-some of them about ready to eat and some only 4 or 5 inches. Earlier this school year we tagged them all so now students are starting to monitor growth rates of individual fish.

Jim Tinker said:

Hey TC

 

been growing 100 bluegill now for almost a year..... they grow at different rates as some are 8" long and the smallest is around 4" long... 

 

they put on a good show at feeding time if they are hungry... I usually wait until tour people are looking at them and toss a handful of food in and the splashing starts LOL...

 

jT

[TCLynx]

I just got whatever bluegill florida fish farms had to offer.  Need fish my nutrient levels have never before been this low!!!!  The water cress is a beast sucking down all my nitrates!

[Jim Tinker]

I guess its just which fish are the bullies.... when the biggest ones are culled, then the smaller ones will grow faster...

 

 

[TCLynx]

same thing happens with most fish I think at least to some extent.

[Chi Ma]

Anyone want to send me some? ;)

[Paul Ellinghuysen]

I  just finshed reading the rest off your chat. Id like to come get your extras when you get ready to offer them. Paul

[TCLynx]

If they are still healthy in six weeks I'll post about it again.

[George T]

Congratulations.  Which sub species did you buy or are they hybrid?  I intend to go with coppernose bluegill and catfish in my system and expect bluegill growout to take 2 years, fish of at least two pounds.  I plan to have a bedding tank for reproduction, or at least add such a tank when needed.  Bluegill fry can be kept in a smaller container inside a larger tank, allowing multiple year classes of fish in the same tank. Larger fish will feed on other fish, such as minnows, or so I've read.  I don't doubt this at all really since large bluegill are frequently caught on lures which imitate small fish.

[TCLynx]

I got whichever ones Florida Fish Farms is selling.

 

I've done cage culture in tanks before, actually to keep tilapia from breeding so that they would grow faster.  There are some challenges with it, mainly in that feed tends to foat out of cage making it more challenging to ensure the right fish get the right amount of the right feed but if you are home to do the feeding manually most of the time it could be ok.

[George T]

Maybe so but possibly there is a genetic difference.  The faster growing ones may be candidates for selective breeding.

Jim Tinker said:

I guess its just which fish are the bullies.... when the biggest ones are culled, then the smaller ones will grow faster...