trojangolf88 Posted August 4, 2008 Posted August 4, 2008 so ive seen quite a few bass kept in aquariums on youtube and some other websites. im thinking about getting an aquarium for my apartment and keeping a small bass out of my private pond in it. the only problem is my apartment is about 30 mins from my house with the pond. do you think a bass could make it that far and how would you transport it? do any of you have a "pet bass?" if so do you have to change the water in the aquarium every so often? an info would help Quote
Super User Grey Wolf Posted August 4, 2008 Super User Posted August 4, 2008 why??????????????????????? Quote
GitRDoneIke23 Posted August 4, 2008 Posted August 4, 2008 why??????????????????????? Why not :-? :-? :-? :-? -Ike Quote
Super User Grey Wolf Posted August 4, 2008 Super User Posted August 4, 2008 Because it's cool , is that what you wanted to hear ?????? Quote
HopelesslyAddicted Posted August 4, 2008 Posted August 4, 2008 why??????????????????????? I think thats a great idea and it sounds like fun. Watching them eat is really cool. Just make sure your tank is big enough for the bass (and filtered well). Hopefully someone with some expert knowledge will help you out. One thing I do know is that I just purchased a "percolator" for my live bait bucket. It keeps ALL of my bait alive I believe by oxygenating the water. If you had a percolator and a big enough water tank in your car, he would be fine until you got back home. Good luck! Quote
NewScreenNameAdvised Posted August 4, 2008 Posted August 4, 2008 I'd personally wait until the water cools this fall. Problem with water in the 80s and 90s is that the oxygen will be gone real fast. Quote
skronky Posted August 4, 2008 Posted August 4, 2008 Its a great idea. I can't imagine being a serious fisherman without ever having a game fish as a pet. You can learn a lot about them and from what perspective they see food. I would get the smallest bass possible. The smaller it is, the easier it will be for it to adjust to its new environment. I would bring a net and not keep anything over 4 inches. Maybe get a few bluegill frye too. General aquarium maintanence is all that is required. Make sure you have a LID! Always have good water flow in the tank. Use the kind of filter that hangs over the side. Use distilled water only, rain water, or RO water from a local aquarium shop. Tap water is full of bad stuff, and even if treated it will still leave mineral deposits all over the place. Get the tank set up a few weeks before adding fish so it can cycle. NEVER do a complete water change. That is very risky for the fish. If the tank is set up correctly it should only need water added to replace what has evaporated. Lots of a aqautic plants will help filter the water. But you'll need strong lighting to support the plants, which is easy to do. I've had bass, bluegill, channel cat, madtoms, mosquito fish, huge crayfish, bull frogs, tree frogs, red ear sliders, snapping turtles, soft shell turtles, mud turtles, water snakes, garter snakes, bullsnakes, rat snakes, pretty much everything I could get my hands on as a kid! Quote
Super User Sam Posted August 4, 2008 Super User Posted August 4, 2008 I knew of a guy who had a LMB in an aquarium. Watching the fish suck in goldfish was very interesting. The bass grew and got too big for the tank so he released him into a local lake. Be sure to keep a cover on the top of the tank with a weight on it as the bass will have a tendency to jump out of the tank for some unknown reason. As for transporting the bass to your tank, the wisdom of oxygenatingthe water is a very good idea. What problem I forsee is that if you get a large container you will have to bring it to the water's edge, fill it up, and then try to drag it back to your vehicle, lift it into the back compartment, without spilling any water or giving yourself a hernia. Then, at home, taking the bass by it's mouth and running to your tank and then taking the heavy container out of your car giving you a double hernia. Do you have anyone who can feed the bass while you are recuperating??? ;D ;D ;D Quote
21farms Posted August 4, 2008 Posted August 4, 2008 30 minutes should be no problem if it is cool and you have plenty of water in your container. fwiw, i had a pet bass and it was FUN! right after i caught him and put him in the aquarium, he kind of sulked on the bottom for about a week and wouldn't eat or move around much. but, by about a month, he'd light up everytime he saw me...kinda like a pet dog! feed him live crickets, feeder goldfish, minnows and nightcrawlers. i'd recommend a minimum 29 gallon tank for a 8-10" bass. the only maintenance is to change one quarter of the water every two weeks and to vacuum the gravel. Quote
GonzoFishing Posted August 4, 2008 Posted August 4, 2008 Try using a cooler to transport the bass to your house. Its larger than a bucket and will help keep the water cool for the 30 min run to your house. I'll be doing the same thing soon! Good luck Quote
-HAWK- Posted August 4, 2008 Posted August 4, 2008 Good luck, from what many have posted on here about haveing a Bass as a pet. Seems like alot of work that would cut into your fishing time. Quote
Eddie Munster Posted August 4, 2008 Posted August 4, 2008 If it's a female large mouth, would you name it Ethel after my mother-in-law? Quote
mrmacwvu1 Posted August 5, 2008 Posted August 5, 2008 just make sure to check your local laws some states make it illegal to have "pet" game fish Quote
JacobK Posted August 5, 2008 Posted August 5, 2008 just make sure to check your local laws some states make it illegal to have "pet" game fish yup so if you're from the northern states look to pick up a peacock bass since those aren't game fish in our areas, i had a peacock bass they're messy eaters and its a challenge to get them to eat pellet food. they require LARGE tanks maybe 50+ gallons my peacock bass was about 4 inches and lived in a 30gallon tank he wasn't too happy. Quote
-HAWK- Posted August 5, 2008 Posted August 5, 2008 Having a Peacock Bass would be pretty cool. What did you do, order from an online site or purchase from a local pet store? Quote
OH-bass614 Posted August 5, 2008 Posted August 5, 2008 would a 110gal tall tank work its the size as a 5 but double the hieght ? this thread gave me a good idea ;D Quote
Perfect Hook Set Posted August 5, 2008 Posted August 5, 2008 Unfortunately I only read the 1st few posts... too lazy... Though I have had many pet bass from 3in bass up to almost 3lbers... The main thing is to keep the tank clean full of oxygen and roomy. I would feed the bass almost on a set schedule. I had a spare tank that I would fill with lake water (from the lake they came from) I would toss in some gold fish, craw fish, and of course some suckers... This tank would sit for 24-48 hours before I would add it to the half filled tank that the bass were in.. (half filled only when ready to change water) I never had a fish die they were all eventually released and I believe still alive... Its a great idea for the kids teens and adults. My bigger tank was used for testing out lures/soft plastics (without hooks) I learned many things from having these tanks. Quote
wilsonm1 Posted August 5, 2008 Posted August 5, 2008 it sounds like alot of fun but just make sure the trip to your appartment the fish is comfortable. might do it myself Quote
skillet Posted August 6, 2008 Posted August 6, 2008 A pet store in Memphis had a peacock bass (not sure which variety) about 6" long. It was priced at $69 ! That's quite a few Brush Hogs ... As Ever, skillet Quote
stinkfist Posted August 7, 2008 Posted August 7, 2008 I have a 10" LMB in a 30 gal tank now. I'm getting a 75 galon soon to put him in. I think the 30 is to small for him. I'd let him go if I didn't plan on putting him in a bigger tank soon. He's freaking awsome. Very agressive eater. I'll go out and net about ten 1.5" minows and drop them in. He'll usually eat about 6 or 7 of them right away and the rest later. He'll stalk them, ambush them and flat out chase them. I almost feel sorry for the minnows. Especially the ones that he saves for a midnight snack. I've had oscars and african cichlids wich are supposed to be agressive fish and they are guppies compared to the bass. Go for it! MIke Quote
snapper G Posted August 7, 2008 Posted August 7, 2008 Yes i do have "pet bass" two of 'em, they're only about 2 1/2 inches and 1 inch. I get them by taking a net and going to a local pond and scooping in the water near land, they will look like minnows, to find them, find the minnows. As far as feeding them, I use frozen blood worms, you can most likely get them at any pet store that has fish store, I also find baby frogs and put them in, it's fun watch them get 'et, I can also get super small minnows that the can eat. You don't need much ether, i keep them in a 10 gallon tank, with some rocks, and artificial weeds. I use a ordinary filter and aerator. I also take some bigger rocks and add them to the tank. If you want more than bass, you can get small bream (blue gills) and tilapia, they get along fine. Quote
atrocity Posted August 7, 2008 Posted August 7, 2008 instead of an aquirum what about those 100 gallon plastic ponds with the fountains in the middle? me and a friend caught about a 10" lmb and kept it in his little pond(like those plastic 100 gallon tanks) in his front yard. we also had two bluegill and alot of minnows that we netted. we also bought shiners to feed it but it wouldnt eat, the blue gill, shiners, or minnows. we fed it those fish pellets for gold fish and it would only eat those. Quote
snapperd1 Posted August 7, 2008 Posted August 7, 2008 Not a bad idea but you will want the biggest tank you can get. I have two pickerel and a rock bass in a 135 gallon aquarium. I run two aquaclear 5000 filters on it with no heater. You will want to feed the fish on a weekly schedule. Mine get 100 + gold fish a week. I put them all in at one time and they last until they have eaten them all. Becarful with bass they tend to eat every thing in the tank that they can fit in their mouths. Quote
LCpointerKILLA Posted August 13, 2008 Posted August 13, 2008 Not a bad idea but you will want the biggest tank you can get. I have two pickerel and a rock bass in a 135 gallon aquarium. I run two aquaclear 5000 filters on it with no heater. You will want to feed the fish on a weekly schedule. Mine get 100 + gold fish a week. I put them all in at one time and they last until they have eaten them all. Becarful with bass they tend to eat every thing in the tank that they can fit in their mouths. cool tank! can we see some more pictures? Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.