There is a body of water nearby which seems to have a high concentration of Bluegill, Green Sunfish, Redbreast, and Pumpkinseeds, none larger than 5-6" in length. This raised a few questions:
What would be the differences in keeping stunted lepomis species such as Pumpkinseeds and Redbreast sunfish vs. healthy, normal counterparts?
Would stunted species be a benefit or problem in captivity?
Also, is this stunted growth permanent to the fish in all life stages? Or can can these fish recover from the environment?
I am deciding whether or not to capture these Sunfish, as they are a decent size for aquarium space.