# I catch these guys regularly



## jlogan (Jun 23, 2009)

anyoen think a pair or trio would make good captives?

Anyone familiar with treatment of wildcaught fish?

thanks!


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## jlogan (Jun 23, 2009)

btw, its a long eared sunfish.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

panfish like sunfish and their like will do fine in a cold water aquarium setup. 1st, check and make sure you are allowed to transport this species alive, can keep these fish in captivity in your state/county, and then research their needs beginning with tank size.

If you are allowed to keep them, then either catch large ones on a barbless hook or with a large net or small ones with a net only.

Acclimate them slowly using the drip method to your tap water.

Otherwise... have fun!


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

These make good pets. It takes a while to ween them on to prepared foods but it can be done. They look fantastic under 10,000k light and are relatively peaceful. They need a larger space to for long term care, but you can keep them without a heater. :thumb:


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## rarefaction (Aug 6, 2009)

love it! :lol: 
I always joke that I'm gonna raise a rainbow trout in my living room...


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## jlogan (Jun 23, 2009)

cool...im excited to try it.

I fly fish, and almost exclusively use barbless hooks.

what is the drip method?


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## leopartner123 (Jun 29, 2009)

Oh ya those are all over in Texas lakes n ponds. I use a bait net to catch minows for bait and I will get some baby Sunfish/bass/catfish once in awhile. Thought about keeping them as pets, but those fish need a big tank.


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## bntbrl (Apr 23, 2009)

You may also find some "pumpkinseed" close to the roots of trees. They may not be where you are but *** caught them in Ga, Fla,Al,La, and the likes. I havent fished much in Tx. Pumpkinseed are small and dont more than 3 inches that *** seen really. Occasionally you get a monster a little bigger but never big enough to eat.

I was looking in the Baensch book and they have some sunfish int here, bluegills and pumpkinseed. In Georgia I havent caugh tmany of the longear bream. Red Brest are colorful and attractive, Im not sure if you have them in Tx either.

*** kept redbreast, warmouth, and pumkinseed when I was a kid. They did well on crickets, worms, and things like that until they took chunks of beefheart and occasionally cichlid sticks.

Usually they are aggressive. I kept mine in a species tank. They should do fine inthe tank or even a pond as long as the water doesnt freeze solid.


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

rarefaction said:


> love it! :lol:
> I always joke that I'm gonna raise a rainbow trout in my living room...


been there, done that :fish: :fish: catch babies with my little cuz and a net and keep them with some minnows in a 55 till they're about 3" then just put them back in the stream


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## Lancerlot (Feb 22, 2006)

You know what my first thought was when I seen that.
How hard would it be to cross that with a texas and Would it work? lol

I've kept 2 sunfish in a 55 at one point. wasn't crowded and the fish were active. but when they spawned it was interesting. Just all over the gravel and about it.


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## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

padlock 08 said:


> rarefaction said:
> 
> 
> > love it! :lol:
> ...


I really dont think thats ethical. those fish you put back wont have the same experience as wild fish (ie getting food avoiding predators) maybe its just me, but the fact is after having removed inhibitions such as avoiding humans by associating yourself with food, it doesn't seem fair to then put them out


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