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Is this some type of sunfish?

Started by Guest_alter40_* , Apr 18 2008 06:33 PM

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40 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_alter40_*

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Posted 18 April 2008 - 06:33 PM

Need help identifying what this fish is. I believe it looks like some type of baby sunfish but I'm not sure. The tail on this one is mostly gone from something attacking it I would think.

Posted Image

Thanks for the help!

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#2 Guest_rockbassbud5_*

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Posted 18 April 2008 - 06:58 PM

Ya it looks like a young bluegill. :biggrin:

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#3 Guest_alter40_*

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Posted 18 April 2008 - 07:45 PM

Thanks, thats kinda what I thought it was but I wasn't too sure.

What would be the minimum sized tank I would need for one of these fish? Would one be ok in a 10g tank for a couple of months since it is so small now?

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#4 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 18 April 2008 - 07:48 PM

Yeah, but they can grow pretty fast. Do you have a bigger tank to put him in when he outgrows the 10 gallon?

It's definitely a sunfish, but something about it doesn't look like a blugill to me. I can't quite put my finger on it. It may just be the distortion from the curved plastic throwing me off.

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#5 Guest_alter40_*

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Posted 18 April 2008 - 08:02 PM

I'm getting a 55 or 75g fish tank in the next couple of months.

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#6 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 18 April 2008 - 08:10 PM

Cool. If he is a bluegill or other large sunfish, he would be better off in the 75; he'll end up being longer than a 55 is wide.

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#7 Guest_alter40_*

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Posted 18 April 2008 - 08:13 PM

The 75g is my current plan right now and I have even debated on a 125 but I'm not quite sure I have the room for one right now. I'm hoping to maybe put a yellow perch in there as well but I'm not sure if they will get along yet or not.

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#8 Guest_centrarchid_*

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Posted 19 April 2008 - 05:55 AM

Yeah, but they can grow pretty fast. Do you have a bigger tank to put him in when he outgrows the 10 gallon?

It's definitely a sunfish, but something about it doesn't look like a blugill to me. I can't quite put my finger on it. It may just be the distortion from the curved plastic throwing me off.

I also do not think the fish in question is a bluegill for the same reasons given by Newt. Two much red in base color. Only the coppernose bluegill much further south have so much red in base but they have fewer and wider bars with a deeper body. Barring pattern not right. The light line behind the eye pointing to the opercular tab similar to that in shellcrackers (redear and pumpkinseed) as well as redbreast and longear sunfishes. No bluegills I have seen have this character. Also note yellow in pelvic fins. Does northern longear occur in your waters? I suspect either pumpkinseed or northern longear. Both more interesting in an aquarium setting than bluegill.

Need a picture without distortion.

Edited by centrarchid, 19 April 2008 - 06:03 AM.

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#9 Guest_fishlvr_*

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Posted 19 April 2008 - 07:16 AM

I can say that is definitely not a redbreast. I would have to agree with Centrarchid that it's either pseed or longear.

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#10 Guest_choupique_*

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Posted 19 April 2008 - 10:20 AM

To narrow it down, I would lean towards the northern longear over pumpkinseed because of the bands and the more snub nose. The nose could be a function of the distortion of the acrylic.

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#11 Guest_macantley_*

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Posted 19 April 2008 - 10:28 AM

yep, thats a baby bluegill, i got 10-15 of them that i use as feeders, mine have the bands that move up and down them as well, the pond i got them from had green sunfish hybrids of some sort also, some of the adult green sunfish i got had colorings like Green terrors, they were really neat looking.

anyway a 55 gallon will house a standard bluegill just fine as long as its no more than 2 of them, they get 8-10" on average in an aquarium, i know they have been known to get larger, but its doubtful, *IF* your looking for a 4 foot tank, get a 90 gallon or a 120 gallon (120 is VERY nice) the 90 gallon is 48x18x24 and the 120 is 48x24x24.

ive got 2 125's a 90 a 75 and a 65 as well as some smaller tanks, id love to move up to a 120 gallon tank cause teh 2 foot front to back makes it MUCH better for fish.

matthew

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#12 Guest_alter40_*

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Posted 19 April 2008 - 10:32 AM

It looks like the northern longear are in this area according to a couple of distribution maps that I looked at. I haven't heard of them in this lake before and I'm pretty unfamiliar with them. I did catch another one with an undamaged tail that I put in my aquarium last night so I will get some better pictures of it later today when the lights come on in my tank.

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#13 Guest_fishlvr_*

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Posted 19 April 2008 - 11:31 AM

yep, thats a baby bluegill, i got 10-15 of them that i use as feeders, mine have the bands that move up and down them as well, the pond i got them from had green sunfish hybrids of some sort also, some of the adult green sunfish i got had colorings like Green terrors, they were really neat looking.

anyway a 55 gallon will house a standard bluegill just fine as long as its no more than 2 of them, they get 8-10" on average in an aquarium, i know they have been known to get larger, but its doubtful, *IF* your looking for a 4 foot tank, get a 90 gallon or a 120 gallon (120 is VERY nice) the 90 gallon is 48x18x24 and the 120 is 48x24x24.

ive got 2 125's a 90 a 75 and a 65 as well as some smaller tanks, id love to move up to a 120 gallon tank cause teh 2 foot front to back makes it MUCH better for fish.

matthew

Not a bluegill. The bars aren't right for bluegill, neither is the shape. This fish strongly resembles what my longears looked like as young 'uns.

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#14 Guest_sumthinsfishy_*

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Posted 19 April 2008 - 12:10 PM

Longears' "ears" usually start showing at about .75" long, and they have larger heads than others. I could see it being a longear though, bands and everything seem the same.

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#15 Guest_alter40_*

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Posted 19 April 2008 - 03:19 PM

Here are a couple of new pictures that hopefully help some.

Posted Image

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#16 Guest_fundulus_*

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Posted 19 April 2008 - 03:34 PM

Please allow me to vote in favor of this fish being a bluegill. They don't start to get more platter-like until they're bigger than this guy, and there's a dorsal fin spot.

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#17 Guest_centrarchid_*

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Posted 19 April 2008 - 09:35 PM

Its time to place bets. Grow the fish out for about 2 months. I bet will be either pumpkinseed or northern longear. I raise too many darn bluegill from all over the U.S. and if these are bluegill, I want some cause they are different!

WARNING, EGO OVERLOAD!!! WARNING!!!

Should have thought of this before. Sacrifice one and look at its gill rakers. Provide picture. I think only one species will have the long flexible / narrow type.

Edited by centrarchid, 19 April 2008 - 09:38 PM.

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#18 Guest_fishlvr_*

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Posted 19 April 2008 - 10:02 PM

There's something about the sidebars that say it's not a bluegill. They aren't shaped right or something. There is also a tinge of red on the first three rays of the anal fin. Some bluegill get red on the fins, but not until they're mature, and most times the red is on the soft rays.

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#19 Guest_fishlvr_*

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Posted 19 April 2008 - 10:04 PM

and there's a dorsal fin spot.

Are you refering to the second picture?

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#20 Guest_alter40_*

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Posted 19 April 2008 - 10:15 PM

Its time to place bets. Grow the fish out for about 2 months. I bet will be either pumpkinseed or northern longear. I raise too many darn bluegill from all over the U.S. and if these are bluegill, I want some cause they are different!

I will be taking bets for the next month and once this betting period is over I will determine the payout for the winner. The house (me) however will take a percentage of the cash. :biggrin:

I also think I will try to go back and catch a couple more of these sunnies in the next couple of days. So far it doesn't seem to be eating either flake food or freeze dried bloodworms that I put in the tank. I know that some of the tropical fish I have had in the past don't eat right after I get them so I figure thats the same deal with this fish.

Edited by alter40, 19 April 2008 - 10:19 PM.