Raising crappie fish in tanks is possible so far you supply them with the right growing conditions. Even though crappie fish are mostly raised in an outdoor pond, raising crappie in tanks or aquariums is still achievable.
Crappie is a freshwater fish and can be mostly found in North America. They are one of the most common loving fish in the United States because of their tasteful bite and it’s easy raising crappie fish in tanks.
Guidelines To Raising Crappie In Tank
You can achieve a smooth and easy-going fish tank if you follow our guidelines for raising crappie in your fish tanks. First, let’s take a look at the required stocking density for crappie fish.
Recommended Crappie Stocking Density
Crappie fish requires stocking them in a well-spaced environment, so you should always go for a larger tank. The recommended stocking density for 2 to 3 crappie fish is 80 gallons. Thus, your fish tank should be able to fill at least 80 gallons of water. However, if you wish to raise 4 or more crappie fish, you should go for larger tanks.
Imitate Their Natural Habitat
The next step is to imitate their natural habitat. This is crucial because they don’t like a bright environment so you need to set up an environment to suit their needs.
- Substrate: so, for you to imitate the natural habitat, you can make use of neutral substrate such as sand or dark gravel for the base of the fish tank. Also, crappie fish have this common habit of hiding. The use of dark gravel or sand allows them to hide whichever way they want.
- Driftwood: you can as well put in some obstacles such as large driftwood for them to hide. Put the driftwood on top of the substrate of your fish tank.
- Artificial Plants: putting some artificial plants is also a bright idea. Touch up your fish tank with 4 to 6 plants and mix them into small and big plants.
- Rocks: you can also decorate your fish tank with some aquarium rocks that are neutral in color.
Set up all these artificial obstacles in your fish tanks along with the substrates. Doing this encourages them to have enough room to hide as this is a regular behavior they love to do.
Temperature & Water Requirements
- Temperature Requirements: crappie fish are hardy and very tolerant; therefore they can do well in most temperatures. They usually prefer a temperature of around 55 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus, they are fine with room temperature water.
- Water Requirements: make use of clean tap water. When you transfer the water into the fish tank, treat it with a dechlorinator.
- Canister Filter: crappie should be raised in a clean environment. You can fix a canister filter to assist in cleaning your fish tank.
Fluval FX High Performance Canister Filter, External Aquarium Filter
Launch Your Crappie Into Fish Tank
Before launching your crappie fish into the tank, ensure they have been kept in a tightly packed plastic bag. This plastic bag should be filled with actual lake or river water. The tightly packed plastic bag should now be allowed to float in the fish tank. This way, the crappie fish will have time to blend with the new temperature environment.
After setting up everything listed above, your crappie is ready to be launched into your fish tank. You can now release your crappie fish into the fish tank.
Read more about How to Raise Catfish in A Tank
Crappie Fish Caring Requirements
After you must have successfully set up your fish tank, you need to take care of your crappie fish so they can thrive and you can enjoy great results. Below are the ways for caring for crappie fish:
- Feeding: crappie fish requires to be fed every 12 hours. You can feed them with smaller fish, crustaceans, insects, and minnows. You can as well feed them with fish pellets, commercially prepared striped bass, and the likes.
- Cleaning Your Fish Tank: it will be a good idea if you can clean your fish tank every 2 weeks. Remove all the artificial plants and rocks and wash them with lukewarm water. If you notice any algae, clean and scrub off the tank walls. Ensure your water is clean and clear because crappie fish likes clear water and not muddy water. Note when cleaning the tank, take out the crappie fish with a net and put them in a big bucket of original tank water. You can also let the crappie fish remain in the fish tank while cleaning if you wish to.
- pH Range: the required pH for crappie fish is 6.6 to 7.8. Sustain this pH range always and test regularly with pH testing equipment.
FAQ’s
How much space do they need?
Crappie like a lot of other fish will do best if they have plenty of space to swim around. I have read that crappies need a lot of space. They can go into a 10-20 gallon tank as long as it has plenty of hiding places.
If you plan on keeping them in a 20 gallon, then you will want to use a saltwater tank. Crappie are not well suited for freshwater tanks due to their sensitivity to low levels of dissolved oxygen. They require very clean water and good aeration.
I have never kept any in a small tank but I would think it would be fine.
How clean do I need to keep the tank?
They don't seem to mind the water quality unless the water is really bad.
At any rate the tank needs to be cleaned every few months. It's important to clean the tank before adding new fish, because that way they don't introduce any diseases from the tank into their system.
Keep the aquarium with the fish out of direct sunlight, and keep it warm. This will prevent the fish from getting sunburned and/or dehydrated.
Can you have multiple crappie in the same tank?
It's easy. If you have a large enough tank, you can have multiple fish in the same tank. You can do this by transferring the fish into a separate aquarium, and then put the aquarium with the fish in the tank.
Do they need a lot of food?
They don't need as much food as other fish, so they can survive on a high quality diet such as frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp. Crappie are also pretty hardy.
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