Sunfish

[tetraman]

I want to get a sunfish in a 20 gallon tank. Do they have any special reqirements?

 

[andywg]

I am assuming you don't mean the sunfish of the Order Tetraodontiformes, such as Mola mola, as these things get big, heavy, and are usually riddled with parasites.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

no, i think he means the N. American native FW types. pm a mod and ask that this be moved to either the oddball or coldwater section.

 

[nmonks]

Yes, a larger tank. Sunfish are fairly big, most species in the 15-60 cm range. There is a nice 10 cm species though, the black banded sunfish, and it does very well in aquaria. In the UK at least, it is fairly widely sold (Wholesale Tropicals in Bethnal Green usually have them).

http/www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=3367

Apart from needing cool water, sunfish are identical in terms of care to Central American cichlids. They are territorial, somewhat aggressive towards one another, and distinctly predatory. You could keep them with goldfish or rosy barbs, but mixing with white cloud mountain minnows would be risky.

Pumpkinseeds are very pretty but potentially quite big (up to 40 cm) so need a very large tank. You can see the full variety here:

http/www.fishbase.org/identification/spe...e=302&areacode=

Sunfish are nice pets and fun to keep, but if you do want one, choose the species very carefully, and make sure you have the right size aquarium for it. Getting a baby and releasing it when too big isn't an option because at the very least the fish can transmit aquarium parasites into the wild. Releasing sunfish is illegal in some states/countries as well, because these fish are notorious at becoming established outside their natural range.

Cheers,

Neale

I want to get a sunfish in a 20 gallon tank. Do they have any special reqirements?

 

[tetraman]

The ones I would catch are small, and could certainly fit in a 20 gallon tank. Also, I could release it into the pond at any time if it outgrew my tank.

 

[spAcE mOnkEy]

The ones I would catch are small, and could certainly fit in a 20 gallon tank. Also, I could release it into the pond at any time if it outgrew my tank.

It's not about the fish fitting in the tank, its about the tank being able to support the bioload of the fish. I think thats a good idea though, you could catch small ones and then release them as they get too big.

Maybe you could do other types of native fish too.

 

[nmonks]

The problem with releasing fish into the wild is that often that fish is doomed (it has un-learned things like hunting behaviour and avoiding predators) or else can carry diseases from the aquarium to the wild. Once in a pond, there are lots of ways diseases can get into rivers and lakes -- via insects, for example, or water birds. So basically, once you have taken something from the wild, consider it yours now, for keeps.

There are small sunfish, there is even a separate family of pygmy sunfish. But if you have a small aquarium, better to stick with things like sticklebacks. These are great fun, and they will happily breed. Lovely colours, too. Invertebrates can also be very good fun, e.g., dragonfly larvae. They're a cross between the Alien and a praying mantis. Very cool. Water bugs (like water scorpions and water measurers) are great, too.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[pica_nuttalli]

i think there are some pygmy sunfish available on aquabid; those look absolutely killer.

 

[spAcE mOnkEy]

The problem with releasing fish into the wild is that often that fish is doomed (it has un-learned things like hunting behaviour and avoiding predators) or else can carry diseases from the aquarium to the wild. Once in a pond, there are lots of ways diseases can get into rivers and lakes -- via insects, for example, or water birds. So basically, once you have taken something from the wild, consider it yours now, for keeps.

What do you think about keeping native fish in a tank for about a week or two... just to study them for a bit? I was actually going to do that, but if i could find stickle backs where i live id rather just keep those.
Stickle backs are awsome.

 

[nmonks]

Good question. In labs, the fish are normally destroyed after use, if they can't be used for something else, like a classroom teaching exhibit. For a couple of weeks, if you kept them in a clean tank and didn't mix them with any standard aquarium fish, like goldfish, I think that would be fine. But there may be specific regulations where you live, so I can't say for certain. Possibly worth sending a quick e-mail to your local game/wildlife conservancy just to check.

Cheers,

Neale

What do you think about keeping native fish in a tank for about a week or two... just to study them for a bit? I was actually going to do that, but if i could find stickle backs where i live id rather just keep those.
Stickle backs are awsome.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Agreed with spacemonkey and nmonks... you are looking for trouble trying to capture wild fish, cram them in an unsuitable tank, then release them. Unless you are willing to commit to the tank size appropriate for several fully grown specimins, you should not keep these fish. Capturing wild fish causes undue stress to them as it is; putting them in an undersized tank and stressing them out with poor water quality and inadequate oxygenation is certainly a death sentence.
How about instead of taking on something as challenging as a wild fish, you do something about your poor goldfish in the 1g bowl? 20g is the minimum for the species, so perhaps you could use that tank for him before he dies of ammonia poisoning, organ compression, or a simple lack of oxygenation in that death trap?

 

[spAcE mOnkEy]

Good question. In labs, the fish are normally destroyed after use, if they can't be used for something else, like a classroom teaching exhibit. For a couple of weeks, if you kept them in a clean tank and didn't mix them with any standard aquarium fish, like goldfish, I think that would be fine. But there may be specific regulations where you live, so I can't say for certain. Possibly worth sending a quick e-mail to your local game/wildlife conservancy just to check.

Near me they are actually very very strict about fishing regulations. I live right next to the croton reservoir, which supplies freshwater to NYC. Even though i live within a 1min walk from the reservoir, i cant fish there! I live right near a DEP(department of environmental protection) police station and the water pump house. I do have a boat on another area of the lake for fishing, but no one is allowed to fish within a certain distance from the pump house for NYC. The only place where i would be collecting natives is from a pond or stream. If i could find stickle backs near me though id keep them.

I recently purchased a seine net. In the future id like to go wading in a stream or pond to catch small fish, keep them for a couple days, then release them. Just to study the way they act. I'd also like to be able to see native fish from the side in a tank, this way i could take pictures of them. When i was on vacation, i took a 10 gal tank with me to put fish in. I'd only keep them for an hour or so, in a tank outside so i could take pictures and release them.

 

[nmonks]

Good points, spacemonkey. Native fish are often regulated as far as collecting goes. You might be able to get dispensation to collect sticklebacks though. Sometimes, if you call and ask, you'll find they don't really care about "trash" species that much. Maybe mention its for your/your kid's science fair project or something. Make an agreement on how many you're going to take, and from where.

I've collected green sunfish and bluegills in those little artificial ponds they build around housing subdivisions. They're often stocked with a view to fishing, and the sunfish are there for the bass. In the South, you can often find mosquitofish and the like in such places, too. Also found them on ponds on golf courses. (Am I the only person who checks out the local fish fauna when on holiday? Surely not!)

If all else fails, try getting some live bait from a fishing store. It's usually minnows and the link, but sometimes you can find some cool stuff, like killifish.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[tetraman]

Ok, it's understood. No pumpkinseed in a 20 gallon tank. Oh! Wait! I've got an idea! I'll beg for one for my birthday in October! Aha! That's original!

Maybe it'll work.

By the way, the goldfish jumped out last night, so don't worry about that issue.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

buenos aires tetras also don't belong in bowls, one gallon or otherwise.