The crappie fish is a native freshwater fish species widely distributed in North America. They live in lakes, streams, and ponds with very clear waters. They are usually raised in outdoor ponds, but can also thrive in aquariums.
Will Crappie eat goldfish and Bluegill?
For the sake of variety, you can place other fish species in the aquarium with the crappie, but definitely not goldfish or bluegill. The reason is very simple, crappie will feed on them.
In the wild, crappie lives together with some other freshwater fish species. However, if you want to replicate that, it is important you ensure the aquarium is big enough to take more fish if you are adding more species to it. But do not add goldfish or bluegill to your aquarium unless you are dividing the aquarium. Such an aquarium has to be big enough for all fishes to thrive in their respective partitions.
So, in summary, Crappie will eat goldfish and bluegill (small size), do not raise them together. Please check videos below how crappie eat the goldfish!
If you are interested to feed crappie in an aquarium, please check the steps below.
How to set up an aquarium for Crappie
- For an aquarium of 2-3 crappies, choose an 80 gallon (300 l) aquarium.
Buy a big aquarium with a lid in your pet supply store or an online shop. If 2-3 crappies are too few for you and you want more, then choose a bigger tank.
Although the aquarium cover is not compulsory because the crappies will not jump out, it does help to prevent the aquarium from losing excess water due to evaporation.
- spread a dark substrate about 2cm thick at the base of the aquarium.
The aquarium gravel or sand you’d choose should be dark and neutral toned. The gravel or sand should be poured directly into the tank. Then spread it evenly and make sure it completely covers the base. As much as possible avoid the use of bright colors as they do not reflect a natural habitat. Crappies prefer dark gravel or sand since it can allow them to hide, which is a common natural behavior in the wild. The gravel and sand used are natural substrates in the wild habitats.
- Put 1 to 2 unit of large aquarium driftwood into the tank.
At this stage, you need driftwoods, so you may need to buy driftwoods of about 2.5ft or 76cm, these are meant to be a hideout for the crappie. Place the driftwoods on the substrate inside the aquarium. Driftwood will also make the aquarium look and feel like a natural habitat to the crappie.
- Decorate about 20% of the aquarium using artificial stones/rocks and plants.
Select about 5 large plants with a height of about 18 to 20 cm, 6 to 7 inches tall, and also plants that are smaller, of about 3-4 inches. Get dark aquarium rocks and natural stones, then arrange your artificial plants and the rocks gotten along the substrates of the aquarium, this provides the crappies lots of rooms to hide.
There are lots of artificial plants and rocks online or in your local store where you can make your selections from. In the wild and natural habitats, crappies spend a lot of time hiding between freshwater plants.
