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Muskie Fishing -> General Discussion -> Questions for the pet esox owners regarding Redfin Pickerel
 
Message Subject: Questions for the pet esox owners regarding Redfin Pickerel
Wood_Duck
Posted 10/27/2014 5:04 PM (#737144)
Subject: Questions for the pet esox owners regarding Redfin Pickerel





Posts: 555


Location: Tennessee
I've just about talked myself into a new aquarium just for the sake of having one or two pickerel. But I've not found a lot of specifics as to their requirements. So for anyone with the knowledge or sources to check, some questions are: what size tank at minimum? I'm shopping in the 55gal range at the moment, I just hate regular rectangular tanks, what are the best sources for purchase, and what water temp/conditions are optimal?
KenK
Posted 10/27/2014 8:52 PM (#737210 - in reply to #737144)
Subject: Re: Questions for the pet esox owners regarding Redfin Pickerel





Posts: 574


Location: Elk Grove Village, IL & Phillips, WI
We have a redfin in a 60 gallon tank. He has grown to about 5 inches now and sports a little belly. I'll need to get some recent pictures. Here was a thread about muskies in a pond that turned toward aquariums. I have some older pics the our fish here.

http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=94...

Edited by KenK 10/27/2014 8:55 PM
Backtroller
Posted 10/28/2014 7:48 PM (#737440 - in reply to #737144)
Subject: Re: Questions for the pet esox owners regarding Redfin Pickerel




Posts: 93


Location: Pewaukee
I've had some hobbyist tanks in the past. I've had some luck with native fish like pumpkin seeds and other panfish. I've never had good luck with any type of pike or bass. I had a CO2 injection system for plants and ro water with frequent changes. My water tempetature was dialed in. Most any fish will last a few months, but often the pike would not eat commerical food or they would pick up a disease from the feeder fish. You might get lucky and they are cool to watch. You may want to set up the tank with cheap tropical fish to "seed" the tank or create a biological presence. On another note, a 55 is a little small for anything in the pike family. I was using a 90. My Redfin pickerel lasted about a year.

Edited by Backtroller 10/28/2014 7:51 PM
NPike_Guy
Posted 10/28/2014 9:25 PM (#737467 - in reply to #737144)
Subject: Re: Questions for the pet esox owners regarding Redfin Pickerel




Posts: 46


If you're looking for something that looks and acts like an Esocid but stays at a more manageable size it may be worth checking out the pike Characins such as Hepsetus odoe. My friend has had one for five years and it seems to have peaked at around 10-11" on a diet of fatheads and bugs.
bigfoot
Posted 10/28/2014 9:46 PM (#737472 - in reply to #737144)
Subject: RE: Questions for the pet esox owners regarding Redfin Pickerel





Posts: 246


Location: Grand Marais, MN
My friends and I used to manage a 55 gallon tank with smallmouth, largemouth, green sunfish and bluegills (not all at same time) and we did best just at room temperature water (presumably in the mid sixty degree range). I'd go with a bigger tank if possible, but 55 will do.

Worms were a great food source for them to eat (we even used worms to train our lakefish onto ciclid stick food). of course minnows are probably best, though. They really dont need to eat all that often.

we had luck with a very good filtration system that was rated for a much bigger tank than the one we had, this seemed to keep the fish healthy and the tank very clean.

we also just used normal tap water treated with whatever conditioners they recommended to make tap water good for freshwater fish at the time.

Sorry i cant say for sure since we never had any esox, but i bet you could get dialed in and have a healthy aquarium just by trying it out for a while, maybe with some bluegills from the local lake as "guinea pigs" to get the water conditions right before you get the esox.
maxpower
Posted 10/29/2014 7:12 AM (#737497 - in reply to #737144)
Subject: RE: Questions for the pet esox owners regarding Redfin Pickerel




Posts: 16


Location: NE Ohio
I had a Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus ) in a 55 gallon tank for over 2 years. Never used a heater, and fed all live fish. Smallest member of the Esox family, so rapid growth was not a problem. In two years it only grew 1-2 inches, but tripled in girth. When I would put feeder fish in the tank sometimes it would go on a feeding frenzy, other times it could care less. Typical Esox, I guess.
Wood_Duck
Posted 10/30/2014 7:50 AM (#737648 - in reply to #737144)
Subject: Re: Questions for the pet esox owners regarding Redfin Pickerel





Posts: 555


Location: Tennessee
Luckily for food, I've got a creek near the house to get feeder minnows anytime I need them. I have only ever kept panfish, bullheads, and largemouth before but to great success.
mecoltin123
Posted 10/30/2014 1:14 PM (#737709 - in reply to #737144)
Subject: Re: Questions for the pet esox owners regarding Redfin Pickerel





Posts: 146


Location: Alsip, IL
We had 2 grass pickerel in a 125. They were fairly hardy for 2 yrs then one developed a disease. Our pet local pet store said it was some sort of fungus fish get and that it would inevitably kill our fish. No pet was more exciting at feeding time. 12 goldfish would be gone in 5 minutes between those 2. A good filtration system and live plants is what we used. Never had a heater but the pet shop told us the live plants may have caused the sickness to our one fish.
KenK
Posted 10/31/2014 11:33 AM (#737888 - in reply to #737144)
Subject: RE: Questions for the pet esox owners regarding Redfin Pickerel





Posts: 574


Location: Elk Grove Village, IL & Phillips, WI
Here are some recent pictures of our Redfin Pickerel. He was about 2.5 to 3 inches and thin when we got him a few months ago. He has grown to about 5 inches. He has been conditioned to the point that if he sees the red cup coming, he knows there is food on the way. His fins all start vibrating and he moves to the top of the tank to wait for his meal, which doesn't last long at all. No heaters and a well planted tank. He appears happy and healthy.


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xlmuskie
Posted 10/31/2014 1:42 PM (#737907 - in reply to #737144)
Subject: RE: Questions for the pet esox owners regarding Redfin Pickerel




Posts: 16


I've had native fish for over 10 years.. crappies, perch, bullhead, bass, sunfish, northern, tiger muskie, and water dogs are very cool pets too! I went from a 55 gallon tank to a 125 gallon. A cool trick to feeding them is keep your feeder fish separate in a mesh container hanging on the side of the tank and only feed them a few at a time. That way there is always a feeding frenzy when you want and there won't be any dead floating feeders in the tank. I'm bummed I will soon be moving and my tank is up for sale.
KenK
Posted 11/17/2014 11:27 AM (#740527 - in reply to #737907)
Subject: RE: Questions for the pet esox owners regarding Redfin Pickerel





Posts: 574


Location: Elk Grove Village, IL & Phillips, WI
Here is a couple more pictures of our Redfin eating a minnow. The look of terror on the minnow's face says it all!



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Wood_Duck
Posted 11/17/2014 11:23 PM (#740623 - in reply to #737144)
Subject: Re: Questions for the pet esox owners regarding Redfin Pickerel





Posts: 555


Location: Tennessee
Very cool!!!
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