10 replies to this topic

[Leo1234]

How small of an aquarium can a single warmouth be in?

[Michael Wolfe]

Sandwich says 58gallon show tank feels nice!

But he also grew up in a much smaller 30 gallon breeder tub that he had to share for a while with the evil margined mad tom brothers.

[Leo1234]

The reason I ask is because the green sunfish just started to bully him. It is hard to create cover in my aquarium when most plants don't grow and I can't find a good piece of wood for the aquarium.

[Josh Blaylock]

[khudgins]

My observation about keeping aggressive sunfish is that, once the males develop a breeding response (more *ahem* colloquially, they start feeling their oats), they start to defend territory and get extremely aggressive. I have no proper data to support this, but I think once somebody gets randy, there are likely some pheromonal signals being sent out that don't get diluted much in the scope of an aquarium, which means they're gonna beat each other up until only one is left. Anything sunfish-shaped is a target.

 

This is from years of trying to keep and breed dollars in a 55-gallon tank. I've done everything but massive daily water changes - I've had reduced populations if 3 or 4 fish, just one male + females, and heavily overstocked the tank african cichlid style to spread the aggression out. Not much has worked yet.

 

So... once you get a sunnie getting aggressive, break 'em out into other tanks. That's my unprofessional opinion based upon ill-informed observation upon years of not much experience.

[Leo1234]

should I make another topic about the stock of my aquarium, or should I keep it here?

[Betta132]

Warmouths aren't terribly active. I'd say a 45g should work, depending on scaping. A particularly large one might warrant a larger tank. Is your guy still growing? 

[Leo1234]

I'm going to keep him in the 150 because I put the green outside in my pond. He is ~4in and his growth is slow. I think he is still growing, but it is nothing compared to my redear sunfish. I wish he would grow faster though.

[Michael Wolfe]

I think he is still growing... I wish he would grow faster though.

 

What are you feeding him?  And where has he been housed (what size tank)?  I ask these because Sandwich had a significant growth spurt after we was removed form the small 30 breeder tub to his 58 gallon tank.  And I also think he gets more nutrition from the massivore pellets than from any of the other floating pellets or krill that he used to eat.

[Leo1234]

I feed him bloodworms, beef heart, cichlid pellets, and occasionally massivore pellets. the pellets I feed every so often. He has been in the 150 ever since I have had the tank... so about a year.

[Matt DeLaVega]

If he is growing slow in a 150, there are at least three things that could contribute. High nitrates. Not enough groceries or the wrong type. He is being out competed for food.