Warmouth and Bluegill spawning?

just thought I would share

Here is the video.

Warmouth - bluegill

Keep in mind, the warmouth either ignores the bluegill or harasses it. I have never seen them do this before.

The bluegill is showing a good bit of red on its breast, so i am guessing it is the male.

I did the 1st gravel vac and water change (other than the drip) in a few months and it must have kicked them off


Tank info and inhabitants

the tank is a 75 gal

I drip what i think is about 90 gal per week into the tank (when the charcoal filter is new)

water stays real good, nitrate creeps up to about 15 ppm if i go over 3 months w/o vigorous gravel vac

I feed Hikari gold cichlid pellets as a staple; FD shrimp (omega), frozen/live earth worms, and frozen/live crickets about 2-3 times a week.

The tank currently holds:
1 warmouth
1 bluegill
1 black bullhead (currently 8")
1 fat sleeper

the bluegill is about 2 years old, and started out as a .5" feeder i netted out of a farm pond in MS, only one out of about 5-6 that did not get eaten.

questions:

1. I was under the impression that they could not produce hybrids; (now that I think about it, I am unsure as to why I have that impression) Will they have any young?
2. If i do not see eggs, does it mean that did not spawn. (the warmouth is hanging out over the nest that she usually builds, but not being any more aggressive than normal, don't see any eggs)
3. will the bluegill start to defend the nest at all? (so far he is in his usual place well away from the warmouth)

thanks for you opinions

I don't think they are breeding. I think your bluegill is getting to the size where he will turn tables on the warmouth and begin harassing it. It looks more to me like the bluegill was being mildly agressive toward the warmouth. The warmouth turning its side to the bluegill may have been defensive or possibly submissive posturing. Also if the warmouth is building a nest it is probably also a male.

I don't think they are breeding. I think your bluegill is getting to the size where he will turn tables on the warmouth and begin harassing it. It looks more to me like the bluegill was being mildly agressive toward the warmouth. The warmouth turning its side to the bluegill may have been defensive or possibly submissive posturing. Also if the warmouth is building a nest it is probably also a male.

Warmouth and bluegill can produce viable hybrid although my experience suggest all hybrids involving warmouth are sterile.

Both male. Neither submitting. Ventral diplay typical of males prior to nest digging.

What you have video taped is much less frequently seen that just about any activity associated with sunfish reproduction. Very cool. Males of same species will do same. Breeding size male when not on nest do this behavior to display quality much like with buck deer walking in parallel showing of antlers without actually resulting in head-butting. Most male sunfishes Lepomis I know of exhibit maximal coloration (reds and yellows) at this time.

Edited by centrarchid, 22 September 2010 - 12:35 PM.

I don't think they are breeding. I think your bluegill is getting to the size where he will turn tables on the warmouth and begin harassing it. It looks more to me like the bluegill was being mildly agressive toward the warmouth. The warmouth turning its side to the bluegill may have been defensive or possibly submissive posturing. Also if the warmouth is building a nest it is probably also a male.

I have observed very ripe female warmouth displaying behavior usually seen in breeding males, such as tail sweeping, guarding nest sites, and even attempting to court other females. Only when females were ripe and no males were present did these odd behaviors occur.