Javascript Disabled Detected

You currently have javascript disabled. Several functions may not work. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality.

Red Breast Sunfish - tankmates?

Started by Guest_twohuskies_* , Jul 04 2010 09:09 AM

Next

Reply to this topic

28 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_twohuskies_*

Guests

Posted 04 July 2010 - 09:09 AM

Hi! I'm pretty new to natives, and have what I believe is a red breasted sunfish. I have pics, but battery needs to charge before I can offload them.

Anyway, I raised her (I think it's a female) in a 20L, but just moved her to a 55. She seems timid and lonely in that big tank all by herself. So, I'm wondering what I can put in with her?

Thank goodness I found this forum!

Edited by twohuskies, 04 July 2010 - 09:09 AM.

#2 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 04 July 2010 - 11:48 AM

redbreast can get to be pretty big... tank mates should be large enough not to fit in her mouth or they will end up there... can't tell here you are from, but some cyprinella shiners might be nice and are tough enough to stand living with a sunfish.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#3 Guest_UncleWillie_*

Guests

Posted 04 July 2010 - 01:36 PM

I second what Michael said. I've had redbreasts in the past and most times they become very aggressive once they hit the 4-5 inch mark. I have kept them with adult spotfins shiners without a problem until the redbreast reached 6 inches. But at that length it successfully killed off a bluegill and a rockbass. They certainly need room in a tank if you don't want things to get messy. All of mine were males, which could have influenced the outcome.

#4 Guest_twohuskies_*

Guests

Posted 04 July 2010 - 03:05 PM

Thanks for the quick replies! I had read that they were pretty aggressive; that's why she's a lonely-only. :biggrin:

She's about 5", including tail. In the 20L, I saw her "fighting" her reflection one day. I figured that meant she was gonna be tough to house with other fish.

I'm in Charlotte, North Carolina. I'm off to research the cyprinella shiners! I've also read that they will tolerate a native catfish. Any opinions about that? And, where in the world can I find a native catfish that doesn't get over a foot long?!?!? :shock:

#5 Guest_bumpylemon_*

Guests

Posted 04 July 2010 - 03:08 PM

Thanks for the quick replies! I had read that they were pretty aggressive; that's why she's a lonely-only. She's about 5", including tail. In the 20L, I saw her "fighting" her reflection one day. I figured that meant she was gonna be tough to house with other fish.

I'm in Charlotte, North Carolina. I'm off to research the cyprinella shiners! I've also read that they will tolerate a native catfish. Any opinions about that? And, where in the world can I find a native catfish that doesn't get over a foot long?!?!?

madtoms for the most part are under a foot long.

#6 Guest_donkeyman876_*

Guests

Posted 04 July 2010 - 03:56 PM

Maybe a larger logperch or some large madtoms.

#7 Guest_wargreen_*

Guests

Posted 04 July 2010 - 05:09 PM

I have never had a large enough tank to try it, but I have heard that stonecats and snail bullheads are good tankmates for aggressive sunfish.

#8 Guest_twohuskies_*

Guests

Posted 04 July 2010 - 05:41 PM

When this fish was captured, it had a brown bullnose tankmate for awhile. They did fine, but they were both small. The bullhead has gone to a new home with a large native pond, and I took the sunfish. The bullheads are common here in NC, but they just get too large.

I really like the madtoms...where can I get them? I don't think they're easily found in my area. The stonecat and logperch look promising as well!

Edited by twohuskies, 04 July 2010 - 05:47 PM.

#9 Guest_wargreen_*

Guests

Posted 04 July 2010 - 05:58 PM

According to Perersons you have both Snail and Flat Bullheads in North Carolina....both max out at 12 inches and Ive heard they do well with Sunfish; Stonecats might be a little tougher to find, unless you order one on the web or find one at your local lfs, since it looks like they are in a very limited area in Western N.C., once again according to Petersons Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes. With big Sunfish like Redbreasts I wouldnt put too small of a Madtom in the tank (most madtoms are max out at under 6 inches).

When this fish was captured, it had a brown bullnose tankmate for awhile. They did fine, but they were both small. The bullhead has gone to a new home with a large native pond, and I took the sunfish. The bullheads are common here in NC, but they just get too large.

I really like the madtoms...where can I get them? I don't think they're easily found in my area. The stonecat and logperch look promising as well!

Edited by wargreen, 04 July 2010 - 05:59 PM.

#10 Guest_twohuskies_*

Guests

Posted 04 July 2010 - 07:16 PM

Well, according to our wildlife commission website, we have bullheads and flatheads here in NC. We never see native fish at LFS around here. Of course, we have very few independent LFS - almost all are chains, so the general fish selection here is lousy. :mad2:

Sad about the madtoms. I really liked them!

I don't know if I should try to add anything at this point. She's been alone for 4-5 months. What do you guys think?

I just hate seeing one fish in a big-ish tank, and she seems timid and shy in the bigger digs. It's only been one day, though, so maybe I should give it more time. Who knows? Maybe the person that found her will find the perfect catfish companion for her... :lol:

Edited by twohuskies, 04 July 2010 - 07:22 PM.

#11 Guest_wargreen_*

Guests

Posted 05 July 2010 - 12:31 AM

You might be able to dipnet Snail and Flat Bullheads out of one of your local creeks (these 2 bullheads are much smaller than Flathead catfish [a monster]or Yellow or Brown Bullheads which can get big enough to eat small sunfish); and later in the year Im sure Johahs or Zimmermans fish should have Stonecats for sale over the internet, if not you might try Sachs Aquaculture or post a wanted on the trade section here at Nanfa or Planet Catfish.

#12 Guest_UncleWillie_*

Guests

Posted 05 July 2010 - 07:25 AM

I am going to suggest two different things:

1) Go for something other than the bullheads. Flatheads are hard to come by and snail bullheads (in my experience) have all been in tough places to sample. They have been in deep, fast-flowing water with large boulders that they can hide underneath. So maybe trapping for young ones would be best?

Instead, look into fish that get large (hopefully large enough to not temp the redbreast to eat it) like bluehead chubs (Nocomis leptocephalus) or even the creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus). The blueheads are great aquarium specimens. They grow fairly fast when young, they are active and very fun to watch. The creek chubs (I have never personally had one) can get pretty large and have bigger mouths than the blueheads. They also have an appetite to go with it (so an small fishes would be at risk of being eaten). These species are easy to find/catch than the snail or flat bullheads.

2) Go with more redbreasts or other sunfish. While I have been too cautious (or scared :mellow:

) to try this method, it has been suggested on this forum to try another approach. While I cannot pull up the exact thread, one of our members and a reputable native fish breeder with a specialization in sunfishes - Brian Zimmerman, has had success with keeping large aggressive sunfish in groups. Rather than only having 2-3 sunfish in a 55 gallon tank, allowing them to develop territories and defend them aggressively, this method suggests more like 5-6 or so sunnies in the same tank. The idea is that the sunfish will constantly be in close proximity to one another and will not have the space/energy to develop and defend territories.
However, if you go this route, use caution with male/female ratios. I don't have enough experience to expand, and I am not sure if this method requires an all-male tank or not. Good luck.

#13 Guest_twohuskies_*

Guests

Posted 02 August 2010 - 07:39 PM

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I'm off to research the chubs now!

Sorry to have abandoned this thread as well. My job has exploded, and it's all I can do to work and keep up with my tanks. :-?

Are the chubs available at some of the online native sellers? I'm afraid I'm not experienced enough to collect the "right" fish to go with my redbreast.

Interesting info about putting other sunfish in with her. I figured that would be a war waiting to happen. Just curious as to why an all male tank was suggested? I would think the males would be more aggressive :?:

Edited to add: I LOOOOOOOOOOVE the bluehead chubs! Where, oh where, can I get some?!?!?!? :rolleyes:

Edited by twohuskies, 02 August 2010 - 07:41 PM.

#14 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 02 August 2010 - 10:05 PM

Edited to add: I LOOOOOOOOOOVE the bluehead chubs! Where, oh where, can I get some?!?!?!?

Your profile says North Carolina... they are in your backyard! Wait until the weather cools down a bit, and find a local NANFAn to go out with you... Nocomis chubs are pretty easy to identify once you are used to it, and in your part (and my part) of the the country they are a pretty common fish.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#15 Guest_gzeiger_*

Guests

Posted 03 August 2010 - 08:55 AM

I believe the thinking was to make an all male tank so that there's no object (female) to fight over. I don't think that's necessary, but that would be the reasoning.

#16 Guest_twohuskies_*

Guests

Posted 03 August 2010 - 06:24 PM

Your profile says North Carolina... they are in your backyard! Wait until the weather cools down a bit, and find a local NANFAn to go out with you... Nocomis chubs are pretty easy to identify once you are used to it, and in your part (and my part) of the the country they are a pretty common fish.

I'm in Charlotte, NC. There are some native experts in my local club. Me thinks I'll be talking to one to see about getting some of those chubs. They are quite unusual looking and I really like them!

#17 Guest_twohuskies_*

Guests

Posted 03 August 2010 - 06:25 PM

I believe the thinking was to make an all male tank so that there's no object (female) to fight over. I don't think that's necessary, but that would be the reasoning.

Makes perfect sense now...duh! But, would an all-female tank accomplish the same thing?

#18 Guest_twohuskies_*

Guests

Posted 22 August 2010 - 01:34 PM

I know this is a longshot, and likely won't work, but I gotta ask:

Can I keep 2 pictus cats and a rainbow shark with my red-breast???

I'm trying to move some fish around, and the pictus cats and the rainbow shark are the "leftovers" in a 55G. If I could move the sunny in there, it would reduce the # of tanks to maintain, and I wouldn't have one fish in a 55G!

#19 Guest_twohuskies_*

Guests

Posted 23 August 2010 - 06:11 PM

I know this is a longshot, and likely won't work, but I gotta ask:

Can I keep 2 pictus cats and a rainbow shark with my red-breast???

I'm trying to move some fish around, and the pictus cats and the rainbow shark are the "leftovers" in a 55G. If I could move the sunny in there, it would reduce the # of tanks to maintain, and I wouldn't have one fish in a 55G!

OK, so I know this ^^ is a stupid idea. I know it won't work.

Soooooo, I spotted the Blackbanded Sunfish - Enneacanthus chaetodon on Zimmerman's website, and would love to have them. It says they are one of the most peaceful of the sunfish, so is there any chance the blackbanded sunfish could co-exist with my redbreast? They really are quite striking, but I don't want to introduce a fish that my sunny will just bully or kill.

#20 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 23 August 2010 - 06:44 PM

Soooooo, I spotted the Blackbanded Sunfish - Enneacanthus chaetodon on Zimmerman's website, and would love to have them. It says they are one of the most peaceful of the sunfish, so is there any chance the blackbanded sunfish could co-exist with my redbreast? They really are quite striking, but I don't want to introduce a fish that my sunny will just bully or kill.

You are right... no, it will not work.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin