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Posts: 90
Location: Athens, Ohio | Not sure if it was a good move, but I bought 3 muskies for my 1.25 ac farm pond. I have stocked fathead minnows and shiners as well. It's a 40 yr old farm pond with a decent population of bass, bluegill.
I have concerns i could destroy a good bass fishery, but the interest of having musky in my pond trumped the bass.
Curious to see if anyone else has tried this and I'd be interested to hear your successes or failures. |
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Posts: 483
Location: NE PA | If all three happen to make it I would venture to say that you may see an improvement in the bass population. Not necessarily in numbers, but overall size would increase I would think. |
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Posts: 1000
| What size were the muskies that you stocked? Stocked at a rate of .47 fish per acre. I think you'll be fine. If the golden shiner population establishes itself then I think you'll be golden.
Depth of the pond? Water temps in the summer?
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Posts: 90
Location: Athens, Ohio | Pond is 1.25 acres. I put 3 Muskies in it. They were supposed to be 12-14", but they were 10". hope my bass dont eat them. I was told to put in 2 fish, but I figured I'd lose at least one, thats why I decided on 3.
Pond is 12' deep at the max. Summer temps? Pond is fed all by runoff, no springs, so I imagine its pretty warm. The thermocline is quite noticeable when swimming in it.
This is the first year for shiners in the pond. Ive stocked fathead minnows in the past. I plan on a fall stocking of shiners as well and will continue a spring and fall stocking if needed.
Interesting experiment I guess..... |
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Posts: 470
| Where can you buy muskies for stocking? I've always wondered....
RandalB |
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Posts: 90
Location: Athens, Ohio | Jones Fish Farm, Columbus Ohio , is where I found mine. |
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Posts: 1283
| Ive got a pond in the back yard Id like to try this in. Its 18ft max depth and a bout the same size as yours but doubles when it rains a lot and the neighbors pond which is bigger and deeper connect. If I only knew where to buy a few around here. |
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| If anyone knows where to purchase, I'd be curious as well.. Not looking for a musky, but maybe a grass pickerel or redfin pickerel... some kind of smaller esox for a 90 gallon tank......getting sick of tropical fish, and while it would be neat to have a musky, I think a smaller esox would work better in a tank. |
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Posts: 455
| You can`t buy one. You will have to sien net one. Check tiny streams that flow into larger creeks. They are great in a fish tank. Live for years and never get too big. So cool to watch them. Lot of stupid musky myths proven wrong in the ole fish tank. My favorite (Muskies only can see and target bait above them in the water) Funny that goldfish on the bottom of the tank wishes that was true. |
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| Yeah, but you can't legally transport a live fish in WI, right? Do any fish hatcheries sell them, and do you need some type of permit to technically keep them? |
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Posts: 455
| No I don`t think it`s legal to sell them and most likely illegal to sein one and keep it in a tank. Not an easy task to catch one. I don`t think you will be facing hard time for a single live grass pickerel however if everybody wanted one you could see why it`s illegal. |
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Posts: 455
| By the way I`m from N.J. where I doubt anyone cares. I`m not sure WI even has grass pickerel or how anal they are about stuff like that. I was in MN in 2012 where they have the death penalty for weeds on your trailor. Something you don`t even think about in N.J. so I`m the wrong guy to ask. |
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Posts: 50
Location: Madison, WI | You definitely can buy just one, but it would cost you a ton. I've looked into it from various farms throughout the midwest. With shipping from various places, it comes out to about $150 for one fish from what i've found. Ouch. Still, would be awesome to have one |
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Posts: 455
| Why would anyone raise grass pickerel? Considering the effort and possible infractions for catching a live one maybe 150$ is not that bad. |
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| I wouldn't be raising them for any other reason then to watch and observe them in an aquarium... just like people do for tropical fish. I just would prefer to watch the behavior of Esox vs some other fish I really don't care that much about. Since muskies are too big for a tank, a grass pickerel would be a good alternative. Yes 150 sounds expensive, but you're right that it would sure beat any infractions for not following their rules. Sorry for getting a little away from the original post- I think the others mostly are looking for fish for a pond. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I've had both Muskies and Pike in a very large aquarium. I'd recommend under gravel filtering equipment and water treatment after each feeding because bait carries tons of disease. We used Melafix, worked great.
Mine came from a stream on my property several years ago. It's lots of work keeping them, but pretty cool to watch them until they outgrow the tank.
I went from esox to panfish, and that was quite an experience as well. Eventually, I got too busy to care for them, and went back to the normal aquarium fare in both my tanks.
If you can find a legal source, it's worth the experience.
A friend of mine stocked his ponds with Muskies for many years, thinking he'd raise a monster. He raised quite a few muskies, but none reached anywhere near the size he hoped for. Cool ponds, though. |
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Posts: 455
| I meant it`s hard to believe there is a place to buy Grass pickerel. Problem with Muskies is they grow way too fast. Grass or Redfin Pickerel stay the size of your finger forever. Easier to feed and keep the tank clean. |
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Posts: 81
| Yea I had redfin I caught down here in NC. Pretty fish and and very cool to watch. Grew 4in in one year and then returned him to the pond/creek where I got him(was about 10in)! Only fed him minnows from the pond/ creek where I got him and still had to change the water often. Needed a better filtration system I guess. Here's some video of him eating.
http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/videos/06.27.2011/4118/My.pet.picke...
http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/videos/06.27.2011/4129/My.pet.picke...
Edited by NCmusky 4/15/2014 7:54 PM
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Posts: 455
| That's sums it up pretty well. So cool. |
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Posts: 224
Location: Madison | When you guys say very large tank, how big is that? |
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Posts: 455
| 60 gallon is fine for a Grass Pickerel but 90 gallon would be better for Muskies. Keep in mind a muskie can only be kept a few months before it out grows the tank. |
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| I don't think muskies should be kept in a tank at all without a plan for what to do after they get bigger... Do NOT release any fish from an aquarium into a lake or river.. While this may have been common in the past, we now know that those fish can carry diseases, etc.. and if you get caught the DNR will have their way with you. Keeping them in a private pond is one thing, but I wouldn't put them in an aquarium.. Also, I'm not biologist, but its my understanding that fish can become stunted when kept in a tank while they are young..while they may look healthy, you can do permanent damage to the fish by keeping them in a tank that is too small for their potential size. Grass or Redfin pickerel would be a great compromise though, they only get about a foot long and they are very similar to muskies as far as shape, behaviors, etc.. I would say a 55 gallon would be the absolute minimum for pickerel, bigger is always better. I'm trying to get a pair of pickerel and 2-3 black crappie or something for a 90 gallon... want some type of tank mate that is "native", not as aggressive as a bass, and sized big enough to not be attacked by the pickerel yet small enough that it won't try to eat my pickerel.. I think I may have found a fish hatchery might be able to get what I'm looking for, will know in a couple weeks and will update when I find out for sure. From what I understand, you cannot take any fish out of a lake/river and transport them home legally without a bait collector's permit... but if you buy from a place that has a license to sell native species (fish hatcheries mainly), you can legally keep fish purchased from them, but MUST be able to show a receipt for the fish from where you purchased them from. So if you get them, do NOT lose your receipt... and feel free to post if you find a place that sells native fish!
Edited by FishFinder87 4/20/2014 3:07 PM
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Posts: 43
| I bought a pike and two large mouth bass from a local pet shop here in crystal lake IL
they had them in a "pond" tank in the store. So you may want to try a pet store.
The store made me a deal to buy all three, because caring for them is a lot of work and a lot of food. Good luck
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | FishFinder87 - 4/20/2014 2:59 PM
I don't think muskies should be kept in a tank at all without a plan for what to do after they get bigger... Do NOT release any fish from an aquarium into a lake or river.. While this may have been common in the past, we now know that those fish can carry diseases, etc.. and if you get caught the DNR will have their way with you. Keeping them in a private pond is one thing, but I wouldn't put them in an aquarium.. Also, I'm not biologist, but its my understanding that fish can become stunted when kept in a tank while they are young..while they may look healthy, you can do permanent damage to the fish by keeping them in a tank that is too small for their potential size. Grass or Redfin pickerel would be a great compromise though, they only get about a foot long and they are very similar to muskies as far as shape, behaviors, etc.. I would say a 55 gallon would be the absolute minimum for pickerel, bigger is always better. I'm trying to get a pair of pickerel and 2-3 black crappie or something for a 90 gallon... want some type of tank mate that is "native", not as aggressive as a bass, and sized big enough to not be attacked by the pickerel yet small enough that it won't try to eat my pickerel.. I think I may have found a fish hatchery might be able to get what I'm looking for, will know in a couple weeks and will update when I find out for sure. From what I understand, you cannot take any fish out of a lake/river and transport them home legally without a bait collector's permit... but if you buy from a place that has a license to sell native species (fish hatcheries mainly), you can legally keep fish purchased from them, but MUST be able to show a receipt for the fish from where you purchased them from. So if you get them, do NOT lose your receipt... and feel free to post if you find a place that sells native fish!
Believe me, with the treatment in out Esox tank, those fish were disease and parasite free. Put 'em right back where we got 'em. Hell of a plan, eh? |
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| I would agree with you if done properly.. But too often, the water in the tank has been in there from previous fish or there are other fish, driftwood, etc in the tank during the same period that have the risk of having disease. Not to mention, fish can become stunted if kept in an aquarium. Regardless, if done properly- I agree that there should be no harm done.. (due to size, smaller esox species may be more ideal anyway) But whether I agree or not is a mute point as it is now illegal to transport live fish from water in Wisconsin without a permit to transport/sell native species. So, it is my understanding (and I've called several people about this) that unless you can find a legal source to purchase these fish with a receipt (easier said than done), it's illegal to have them. Conservation laws are in place for a reason whether we all agree on them all or not, I tend to try to follow them as I value my right to hunt and fish and my equipment too much to lose it over something so silly. |
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Posts: 574
Location: Elk Grove Village, IL & Phillips, WI | We just bought a redfin pickerel for our 60 gallon tank from a website called AquaBid.com. It is supposed to arrive today. $32 w/shipping for a 3 inch specimen.
Edited by KenK 8/7/2014 10:31 AM
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| KenK - 8/7/2014 10:28 AM
We just bought a redfin pickerel for our 60 gallon tank from a website called AquaBid.com. It is supposed to arrive today. $32 w/shipping for a 3 inch specimen.
Cool! Please post a follow up on the fish's health, etc.. A pic would be cool too. Considering doing the same thing. Are you in WI?
Edited by FishFinder87 8/7/2014 2:25 PM
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Posts: 574
Location: Elk Grove Village, IL & Phillips, WI | He got here! It kind of gets lost in the huge tank, but he should double in size in no time. He looks healthy and he is swimming around the tank now. Here are a couple of pictures. I'm in Illinois. Not sure about the rules in Wisconsin, but this is an F1 fish, so it was bred in captivity.
Edited by KenK 8/8/2014 7:52 AM
(Red Fin 2 resized 21.jpg)
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 Red Fin resized.jpg (195KB - 530 downloads)
Red Fin 2 resized 21.jpg (182KB - 499 downloads)
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Posts: 574
Location: Elk Grove Village, IL & Phillips, WI | Update on the red fin pickerel. He is healthy and eating feeder guppies. Last night we watched him shoot about a foot from his favorite log to T-bone one, turn it, and swallow. Unbelievable how fast it can move to take down prey. This is going to be great watching him mature!
Edited by KenK 8/11/2014 9:20 AM
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| Awesome! From my limited aquarium experience, that first week or so is huge. If he is healthy, active, and eating already- very good sign. Now as long as the tank is cycled properly (Hope this was done before getting him?) and you keep up with filters and water changes as needed, you should be good. Keep us posted! |
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