Spawning Longears

Finally got my Northern longear pair to spawn. I used a divided 10g with the male on one side and the female on the other. My intention was to only keep them together when they could be supervised and sure enough they did try to spawn through the divider a couple times but those attempts never succeeded. Last Thursday I noticed the female was interested in the male and moved her over to his side, they spawned within a couple hours. The eggs hatched yesturday and I'm working on hatching some brine shrimp for them.







Video

Thanks for sharing. Always cool to observe something like that - Although I feel kind of dirty for watching.

Arthur,

That's a great video and photos too. Thanks for posting them.
I'm also interested since I see the same drab colors in my captive longears. I'm not knocking your fish coloration (after all I have the same problem) but wild fish caught in this state seem to have such vibrant color compared to my captive fish. I wonder why that is.

Arthur,

That's a great video and photos too. Thanks for posting them.
I'm also interested since I see the same drab colors in my captive longears. I'm not knocking your fish coloration (after all I have the same problem) but wild fish caught in this state seem to have such vibrant color compared to my captive fish. I wonder why that is.

I've also noticed that, I always assumed it has something to do with lighting, water clarity and other environmental factors.

Thats actually the most colorful I've seen the female, normally she looks more like this.


As for the male I've always thought of him as being pretty colorful but I've never had experience with wild caught longears. They occur in NY but have a very limited range and are listed as threatened. These fish actually came from Brian originally. This picture does him a bit more justice.

Edited by sandtiger, 21 October 2008 - 01:06 PM.

Thanks for the videos and photos.

I think your male looks great. My male longear, pretty sure he's a male, stays pretty colorfull, but he is in a tank with other sunfish.
You have any tips on sexing them.

Thanks for the videos and photos.

I think your male looks great. My male longear, pretty sure he's a male, stays pretty colorfull, but he is in a tank with other sunfish.
You have any tips on sexing them.

I guess if I had any tips it would be the coloration. The last two pictures are of their normal coloration and as you can see they look quite different (after they hit sexual maturity). Behavior seems to be another indicator, I don't know about in other people's setups but in my home male sunfish make their sex known by acting like male sunfish. They are more aggressive and territorial and typically build nests.

Is that the girl I sent you a while back?

Congrats on the spawn! I noticed the colors with my longears as well. Their reds always came out more when I fed them things like worms and bloodworms, but most of the time they were more drab than any others I had seen.

Is that the girl I sent you a while back?

Congrats on the spawn! I noticed the colors with my longears as well. Their reds always came out more when I fed them things like worms and bloodworms, but most of the time they were more drab than any others I had seen.

Yup, she sure is!

As for the male I've always thought of him as being pretty colorful but I've never had experience with wild caught longears. They occur in NY but have a very limited range and are listed as threatened. These fish actually came from Brian originally. This picture does him a bit more justice.

I take back everything I said about your fish. That's a handsome specimen.

I think temperature food and lighting all play a roll in a captive fishes coloration. Feeding them a high quality food helps and keeping them at a temperature appropriate for their breeding conditions. For Longears and most Lepomis that seems to be rather warm, mid to upper 70's. Lastly some natural sunlight seems to help. I have a couple of different male western dollars right now and the one in a tank by a window that gets a lot of light seems to have brighter colors that some kept in the main fish room where there are only very small windows. I think all of these things play a roll in how colorful a fish is. Length of day light might also be somewhat important.

Great pics and video. Have your young hatched yet and what are they eating?

Rick

Great pics and video. Have your young hatched yet and what are they eating?

Rick

They've hatched but aren't free swimming yet. I have brine shrimp ready for them.

They've hatched but aren't free swimming yet. I have brine shrimp ready for them.

I recommend you start feeding them the evening before you expect them to become free swimming. Will carry them over night with food in belly which will help out later.

Temperature , maturity, and diet are major influences on colors of Megalotis. Another is water quality but they have quite a tolerance there.

The most colorful L.megalotis I have seen come from about a 100 mile radius of Joplin MO. Some other regions they sometimes become rather blah in comparison to the Joplin fish.

As the males come near to spawning condition they will enhance their colors too.

-sandtiger,
I just found this thread. Great photos and video of the Longears spawning. Great looking fish. It's awesome knowing that you're seeing something that most people never get the opportunity to see. Makes me even more anxious about getting my 55 gal set up !

Quote from JakeLevi: (Haven't quite figured out the quote feature on here yet. It's probably easier than what I just did!) "The most colorful L.megalotis I have seen come from about a 100 mile radius of Joplin MO. Some other regions they sometimes become rather blah in comparison to the Joplin fish."

-JakeLevi,
I've been finding some pretty nice longears in my area as well (Murray, KY). Especially in one partucular spring-fed creek. Do you happen to have any photos of the ones that come from the Joplin, MO area? Or, maybe some pics of them that can be found on the net somewhere? Even better, how about someone who has some aviable for sale/trade ?

Thanks all!

Thanks for the compliments. Unfortunately none of the fry survived. They lived for about a week eating brine shrimp and then they just started dieing off and all were gone within a couple days. I'll be trying again though.

Thanks for the compliments. Unfortunately none of the fry survived. They lived for about a week eating brine shrimp and then they just started dieing off and all were gone within a couple days. I'll be trying again though.

I've heard of what seems to be the same problem with the O-spotted sunfish. I think I read about it here on the forum somewhere. Can't help but wonder what must be missing in the aquarium environment that the fry might be accessing in their natural habitat. It seems like cichlid fry tend to be a little more forgiving to our artificially generated habitats than the sunnies (?).

I think I'll ask around a bit to see how others may have overcome this particular obstacle.

Please keep us informed on how your next effort comes out.

I've heard of what seems to be the same problem with the O-spotted sunfish. I think I read about it here on the forum somewhere. Can't help but wonder what must be missing in the aquarium environment that the fry might be accessing in their natural habitat. It seems like cichlid fry tend to be a little more forgiving to our artificially generated habitats than the sunnies (?).

I think I'll ask around a bit to see how others may have overcome this particular obstacle.

Please keep us informed on how your next effort comes out.

Such a loss with young longear sunfish broods likely do to PMS (Poor Management Syndrome). I commit such acts of PMS regularly. When workiing with early development stages you need to stay on the ball.


O-spotts simply diffifcult to rear.

Such a loss with young longear sunfish broods likely do to PMS (Poor Management Syndrome). I commit such acts of PMS regularly. When workiing with early development stages you need to stay on the ball.


O-spotts simply diffifcult to rear.

I did frequent water changes, every other day IIRC. The tank was however a 10g and so my line of thinking is similar to yours. My next attempt will be in a 20g.

I did frequent water changes, every other day IIRC. The tank was however a 10g and so my line of thinking is similar to yours. My next attempt will be in a 20g.

My most consistent way to kill by PMS when larvae are not my concern is not spreading the feedings out enough or allowing unhatched cysts and shells to be introduced to larvae. Over feeding as in applying brine shrimp in one feeding that shouls be over three or four sets stage for disease.