# Question



## Spanky (Aug 13, 2012)

This may be a stupid question, but I was wondering if small Bluegill Sunfish (5-6 inches)would be compatible with small (4-5 inch) baby carp? And if I were to catch some sunfish at the local pond (its legal in my area) to put in the tank, what would I feed them?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

what are you going to catch them with? I'd feed earthworms. They would probably eat almost anything though.


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## Spanky (Aug 13, 2012)

coralbandit said:


> what are you going to catch them with? I'd feed earthworms. They would probably eat almost anything though.


I catch them with rod and reel, so normal fish flakes would work?
Thanks


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

they might eat flake(if hungry enough) Had sunfish,pickerel,pearch and bass in 135 g 20 years ago. Used to set minow traps in creek nearby and feed them.Tank was way cool.Use to minnows and crayfish in(200 minnows and 15 crayfish) however many the traps caught , all at once. The minnows schooled and the cray fish tried to hide.They last about 1 week at atime. slowly the minow count would go down till all that was left were cray fish. Then the cray fish would start to vanish and I'd go back to creek,(left minow traps in creek 24/7{used bread to bait them into trap). It was very interesting and natural.Wish I had taken pictures of that set up.


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## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

if they will take your fish flakes, it will work. if your baby carp eats flake, then you may have a lot easier time converting the sunfish to flake. they seem to pick it up faster when another fish shows them that it is food. untill then, worms will work, and frozen bloodworms usualy work. the color red seems to pique their interest.


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## Spanky (Aug 13, 2012)

Thanks guys


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

I'm going to be a pain - there is an ethical question. You should never release a captive kept fish back into the wild. Even if you release it right where it came from, contact with the aquarium world can be contact with different diseases, parasites, viruses etc, and sending a South Asian parasite or a South American virus into a North American stream is not wise.
My rule has always been that if I caught it, it was a dead, eaten fish that happened to be alive. But if it outgrew my tank, I had to euthanize it. Your baby carp would be there soon. It's a big filthy fish, in very little time.

I've kept sunfish. They'll eventually take flake, once they heal from the hook.Why not use a minnow trap? They are suckers for one - bait it with bread and you'll get one every throw in. The fish doesn't get the mouth injury, which can be harder to heal in an aquarium (especially with a carp in there). 

I'd suggest earthworms, small trout pellets and other meat based pellets. They don't really find flakes interesting as they like chunkier food.
They are fiercely territorial. Great fish with personality, but in groups, you need a big big tank. You are looking at 100 gallons plus to get by more than a couple of weeks with them. 
Just watch how they defend their nests in the Spring. They play hardball.


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## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

Nav, in most states, it is illegal to take game fish in any method besides a hook and line. Here in north Carolina for instance, they classify all sunfish as game fish, so the only legal way to catch them is by fishing them up.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Ah, I did not know that. Here, we don't have bluegill, which seem to get large, but pumpkinseeds can be fish trapped. Any game fish is illegal to keep in an aquarium here, but sunfish seem not to qualify for game status.


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