Good Community Fish with Pygmy Sunfish?

I have two Pygmy Sunfish in a planted aquarium, from who has kept them, what makes a good tankmate?

What kind of pygmy sunfish are they?

What kind of pygmy sunfish are they?

Oops, They are Banded Pygmy Sunfish.

I have two Pygmy Sunfish in a planted aquarium, from who has kept them, what makes a good tankmate?

I can't speak from aquarium experience, but they are often found with Pirate Perch and Blackspotted Topminnows. Also the occasional Erimyzon oblongus. Also Heterandria formosa - wait, that would be the ideal tankmate. And F. chrysotus.

Least killlies and banded pygmies - that's your combination right there. Sorry for the train of thought reply. Well, not VERY sorry!

Least killies and bluefin killies make the best tankmates for Elassoma. Just about everything esle would either outcompete them for food or make them food.

also swampfish, swamp & sawcheek darter, and if you dont mind mixing continents - dwarf rasbora, scarlet dario, diptail pencilfish, neoheterandria elegans, dwarf sparkling gourami, cherry shrimp, bee shrimp, lots of tiny things. just watch & make sure the pygmys get enough food - theyre slower feeders than most.

also swampfish, swamp & sawcheek darter, and if you dont mind mixing continents - dwarf rasbora, scarlet dario, diptail pencilfish, neoheterandria elegans, dwarf sparkling gourami, cherry shrimp, bee shrimp, lots of tiny things. just watch & make sure the pygmys get enough food - theyre slower feeders than most.

I had not considered the swampfish. It would certainly fit the bill. The darters get a fair amount larger that the pygmies are more aggressive feeders than the pygmies, at least mine always seem to be.

I have kept them with Leptolucania ommata, Fundulus notti, F. escambiae and swamp darters with good results. If you want to see a real show feed them some live mosquito larvae.
wegl2001

I can't speak from aquarium experience, but they are often found with Pirate Perch and Blackspotted Topminnows. Also the occasional Erimyzon oblongus. Also Heterandria formosa - wait, that would be the ideal tankmate. And F. chrysotus.

Least killlies and banded pygmies - that's your combination right there. Sorry for the train of thought reply. Well, not VERY sorry!

Pirate perch may be found with pygmies in the same habitat. And that is why the pirates are so fat I suppose. Pygmy and pirates do not mix. Unless you just a using the pygmise as feeders. The pirate perch is capable of engulfing quite large fish.

Like mentioned by others. Least killie, rainwater killie, other pygmies, I do not think your blue spotted sunnies and their relatives would bother them if kept well fed.
Sailfins can be caught in the same habitat but they can atain a length close to six inches. Though they may not be able to swallow them cause of their small mouths I think they would kill them. There are smaller minnows i think could adapt with the pygmy water paramerters. So it looks like this thread has been around for a while and a lot of water went under the bridge. Which fish do you keep now. Are the pygmies still around. I want to start a small species tank with my twent long.

Pirate perch may be found with pygmies in the same habitat. And that is why the pirates are so fat I suppose. Pygmy and pirates do not mix. Unless you just a using the pygmise as feeders. The pirate perch is capable of engulfing quite large fish.

Like mentioned by others. Least killie, rainwater killie, other pygmies, I do not think your blue spotted sunnies and their relatives would bother them if kept well fed.
Sailfins can be caught in the same habitat but they can atain a length close to six inches. Though they may not be able to swallow them cause of their small mouths I think they would kill them. There are smaller minnows i think could adapt with the pygmy water paramerters. So it looks like this thread has been around for a while and a lot of water went under the bridge. Which fish do you keep now. Are the pygmies still around. I want to start a small species tank with my twent long.

talking to a friend of my Mike Sandel and he was saying how he has heard of them in small tanks 1-2 gallons for a pair
in your 20 long I would say you could get away with around 20 or so but what I would do is get a pair of the 3 legal species and stick with just them and maybe even a golden topminnow or two.

black striped top minnows would work well, i have never kept pygmies but i do know that they are somewhat picky eaters where the black strip's are not, you could feed them flake while the pygmies lunch on frozen BW.

I have had priate perch, breifly. I had one eat a sialfin shiner every bit as big as he was.

no experence with blue spotted, but i would think that they would compete with the pygmies.

I wouldn't keep blue spotted sunnies with Elassoma. The adult bluespots would outcompete the Elassoma and eat the fry. They're not natives, but corydoras paleatus are a great fish to keep with them. They'll eat the leftover food that the Elassoma miss. (They'd probably eat Elassoma fry, though.)

black striped top minnows would work well, i have never kept pygmies but i do know that they are somewhat picky eaters where the black strip's are not, you could feed them flake while the pygmies lunch on frozen BW.

I have had priate perch, breifly. I had one eat a sialfin shiner every bit as big as he was.

no experence with blue spotted, but i would think that they would compete with the pygmies.

I wouldn't keep blue spotted sunnies with Elassoma. The adult bluespots would outcompete the Elassoma and eat the fry. They're not natives, but corydoras paleatus are a great fish to keep with them. They'll eat the leftover food that the Elassoma miss. (They'd probably eat Elassoma fry, though.)

what about taillight,flagfin or sailfin shiners would they work

I've never kept any of those species. But, in general, shiner's and minnows are much more active than Elassoma and would probably outcompete them for food. Elassoma are shy ambush predators.

what about taillight,flagfin or sailfin shiners would they work

I've never kept any of those species. But, in general, shiner's and minnows are much more active than Elassoma and would probably outcompete them for food. Elassoma are shy ambush predators.

oh I figured they being more of a sandhills shiner might work
I wouldntsay bluefinkillies would be good for mine are as aggresive as a breeding pair of convicts or a large monquito fish

I wouldntsay bluefinkillies would be good for mine are as aggresive as a breeding pair of convicts or a large monquito fish

I've had Banded pygmies and Everglades pygmies breed in tanks with Bluefin killies in them. The key is to have the tanks heavily planted, which both species need and prefer anyway.

I've had Banded pygmies and Everglades pygmies breed in tanks with Bluefin killies in them. The key is to have the tanks heavily planted, which both species need and prefer anyway.

well I dont know my male is agressive to agressive for me to even think puting him with pygmies
btw my blefin tanks are heavily planted
1 huge drawf lilly
3 huge banana plants
a huge mess of water sprite
and even a few japanese moss balls

Have you considered inverts? I'm keeping two Banded Pygmies (E. zonatum) with several grass shrimp (Palaemonetes kadakiensis) that were caught syntopically.

Have you considered inverts? I'm keeping two Banded Pygmies (E. zonatum) with several grass shrimp (Palaemonetes kadakiensis) that were caught syntopically.

Psst.... The original date of this thread is over a year ago. But welcome to the forum.

No Tom, only 6 months