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How often do Sunfish eat?

Started by Guest_njJohn_* , Dec 13 2012 01:43 PM

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5 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_njJohn_*

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Posted 13 December 2012 - 01:43 PM

My green always seems hungry. How often to the get to eat in the wild?

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#2 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 13 December 2012 - 03:29 PM

Your green sunfish is always hungry... he will eat every time he gets a chance no matter what... to the point of exploding. In the wild, the food might sometimes be faster than him, so he will chase it around (which will make him even more hungry).

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

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#3 Guest_Subrosa_*

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Posted 13 December 2012 - 04:06 PM

Most fish eat one meal a day in the wild. It starts when they wake up and ends when they go to sleep.

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#4 Guest_centrarchid_*

Guests

Posted 13 December 2012 - 04:57 PM

Under typical conditions when food is not so abundant that fish can eat all they want, the fish are are almost always on prowl for food items. When food is more abundant / easily acquired and they are approaching the maximum they can consume, there effort to consume additional food decreases. A hungry green will expend considerable effort to consume even a small item while one that is nearly satiated will only make a half-hearted effort to catch a food item. This mechanism prevents fish from over eating under natural conditions. In a culture setting I can get any sunfish, including greens, to eat more on a sustained basis than they do in nature. This in part because food is ingested as dry (nutrient density higher than any live food) pellets and minimal effort is required to catch pellets. Additionally I can cheat by having food presented 24 hours a day so when even slightest urge to eat is realized food will be present. They will eat to the point I think they feel discomfort but they do not explode.

Edited by centrarchid, 13 December 2012 - 04:58 PM.

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#5 Guest_njJohn_*

Guests

Posted 14 December 2012 - 11:55 AM

Thanks. He's an eating machine, thats for sure. When I put defrosted food into the tank, he bites the net and shakes it. Its like my own mini fishing derby.