Help with Sunfish ID

Hello all. I caught this guy in a canal near my home in Cape Coral, FL. Anyone know what it is? Are the black pelvic fins normal? I've been keeping cichlids from around the world for years and have just started to notice the beauty of some of the native fishes here. There are also some very attrctive 6-7 inch fish with red finnage and 3 black vertical bars. Any ideas?

Hello all. I caught this guy in a canal near my home in Cape Coral, FL. Anyone know what it is? Are the black pelvic fins normal? I've been keeping cichlids from around the world for years and have just started to notice the beauty of some of the native fishes here. There are also some very attrctive 6-7 inch fish with red finnage and 3 black vertical bars. Any ideas?

Spotted sunfish (Lepomis punctatus)

Hi Highball, and welcome to the NANFA boards! I'm glad to see you took my suggestion on the aquariacentral boards.

This site has helped me a lot with my questions about native fish, and I think it will do the same for you. Can you get pictures of some of your other local fish? Your area has a pretty high diversity of native freshwater fishes, but it also has a lot of introduced exotic species (especially in the canals), so you've got the potential to catch a lot of different stuff there.

Thanks Newt. Yes, I am going to use a trap and catch a few of the local species here. I have begun feeding in an area with several habitats to try to maximize the amount of different species I trap. There are also what look to be Mayan cichlids in this canal. I have missed photo ops with the iguanas, nile and savannah monitors, and giant day geckos I have seen in the wild here. I carry my camera everywhere now, but of course I haven't seen most of these animals since.

It is also a dude. Jet black pelvic fins.

Thanks Dsmith for the quick response. From what I read, this is one of the smaller sunfish, correct? A 46 gallon bowfront would be his home if the volume is large enough.

Hello all. I caught this guy in a canal near my home in Cape Coral, FL. Anyone know what it is? Are the black pelvic fins normal? I've been keeping cichlids from around the world for years and have just started to notice the beauty of some of the native fishes here. There are also some very attrctive 6-7 inch fish with red finnage and 3 black vertical bars. Any ideas?

Coppernose bluegill would be your 6-7 inch fish with 3 black vertical bars. Would waiger they also have a cream colored trim to those fins.

Coppernose bluegill would be your 6-7 inch fish with 3 black vertical bars. Would waiger they also have a cream colored trim to those fins.

Yes they do. I caught one of these yesterday, will post some pics sometime today. He's eating this morning and starting to get some color back, so I'll give him a few hours to eat and digest before I go poking a camera lens at him.

A fish with three black vertical bars and reddish fins sounds a lot like a Cichla ocellaris (peacock bass) to me. Is it more elongated like a bass or disc shaped like a sunfish?

Hey that's a pretty nice looking sunfish!
It doesn't look like the crappy field guide photos I've seen.
You're in a great area to find lots of cool natives, fish and herps. Yah, and lots of exotics too.

Yes they do. I caught one of these yesterday, will post some pics sometime today. He's eating this morning and starting to get some color back, so I'll give him a few hours to eat and digest before I go poking a camera lens at him.

Please post images. I am anxious to see.

Please post images. I am anxious to see.

Sorry, we went out of town this weekend and I had tried to add the bluegill with the sunfish ( my quarantine tank is recycling now and was measuring nitrites ). There was lots of violence so I got the bluegill out of there. I'm going to trap some fish sometime this week. I'll post some pics then.

Sorry, we went out of town this weekend and I had tried to add the bluegill with the sunfish ( my quarantine tank is recycling now and was measuring nitrites ). There was lots of violence so I got the bluegill out of there. I'm going to trap some fish sometime this week. I'll post some pics then.

Who was on the receiving end of the violence?

Who was on the receiving end of the violence?

The sunfish. The bluegill became territorial during feeding and didn't stop until he had the sunfish pinned behind the filter. It's quite possible they would have worked it out, but I was in a hurry to get on the road, my girl was upset, and I had to do something quick. He wasn't going to be a permanent resident anyway.

The sunfish. The bluegill became territorial during feeding and didn't stop until he had the sunfish pinned behind the filter. It's quite possible they would have worked it out, but I was in a hurry to get on the road, my girl was upset, and I had to do something quick. He wasn't going to be a permanent resident anyway.

Reverse of what I usually see but does happen.

Reverse of what I usually see but does happen.

The Bluegill was in the display tank and was established. After some time the tide probably would've turned. I'm considering moving the Sunfish again to introduce a new Bluegill, as he is now battering the new Bluegill any chance he gets. Mean little sucker!