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smallest sunfish I can easily breed in 29g


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#1 Guest_star5328_*

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Posted 21 September 2010 - 10:37 PM

I'm looking for something that I can easily keep a pair in a 29g, and will be eager to spawn. What best fits the bill?

#2 Guest_Elijah_*

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Posted 21 September 2010 - 10:51 PM

I'm looking for something that I can easily keep a pair in a 29g, and will be eager to spawn. What best fits the bill?

Well pygmy sunfish would most likely breed with the right set up.
Pygmies are not true sunfish though. My Bluespots are breeding in my 55G right now, but I have read it is somewhat rare.
I have read that Orange-spots breed pretty easily, but have no experience as of yet.

#3 Guest_Elijah_*

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Posted 21 September 2010 - 10:52 PM

Well pygmy sunfish would most likely breed with the right set up.
Pygmies are not true sunfish though. My Bluespots are breeding in my 55G right now, but I have read it is somewhat rare.
I have read that Orange-spots breed pretty easily, but have no experience as of yet.
Having pleanty of plants seems to help with this process.



#4 Guest_star5328_*

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Posted 21 September 2010 - 11:31 PM

I like bluespots but i've been reading the same, they tend not to breed in aquariums. Yea the tiny pygmys aren't really what i'm looking for. Bantams? Bandeds?

#5 Guest_star5328_*

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Posted 21 September 2010 - 11:34 PM

I'd already be set on O-spots if they didn't produce tiny and apparently unfeedable fry

#6 Guest_Drew_*

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Posted 21 September 2010 - 11:44 PM


Successfully Spawning and Raising the Banded Sunfish - Peter R. Rollo


Spawning the Blackbanded Sunfish - James G. Sternburg

Meet the Bluespotted Sunfish - Robert T. Rosen

My Blackbanded Sunfish caught in the act


#7 Guest_star5328_*

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Posted 22 September 2010 - 12:38 AM

If only my water didn't have a ph over 8 and it wasn't alkaline. I'm thinking messing with water chemistry isn't something I'm up for

Edited by star5328, 22 September 2010 - 12:39 AM.


#8 Guest_star5328_*

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Posted 22 September 2010 - 10:41 AM

I'm thinking I might just get a pair of greens and see if I can spawn them in a 14g tub for the time being. Couple questions, If I collect a pair, how big do they need to be? In a tub with gravel and a couple fake plants, well fed at about 75 degrees, how soon might they decide to spawn? Is there a quicker way to go about it? Condition them seperately then introduce?

#9 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 22 September 2010 - 11:05 AM

Greens will spawn at surprisingly small sizes. Still, I don't think that small a tub is going to be a good way to keep the greenies. For one thing, keeping a pair of greens is a recipe for an extremely stressed/dead female, so you're going to need more fish. I'd suggest three or four females per male. Hopefully someone more experienced in breeding them will chime in.

#10 Guest_gerald_*

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Posted 22 September 2010 - 01:12 PM

O-spots wont mind your high pH (and presumably high hardness?). The newly-swimmimg fry are no smaller and probably easier to feed than any of the Enneacanthus sunfishes. For fish with really tiny fry use Philodina rotifers and fresh-hatched San Francisco Bay BS, which are smaller at hatching than the Great Salt Lake BS.


I'd already be set on O-spots if they didn't produce tiny and apparently unfeedable fry



#11 Guest_star5328_*

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Posted 22 September 2010 - 07:21 PM

O-spots wont mind your high pH (and presumably high hardness?). The newly-swimmimg fry are no smaller and probably easier to feed than any of the Enneacanthus sunfishes. For fish with really tiny fry use Philodina rotifers and fresh-hatched San Francisco Bay BS, which are smaller at hatching than the Great Salt Lake BS.


I've been told pretty much no one has had success rearing fry of ospots. I'd think if it was as simple as you make it seem the case would be different?

#12 Guest_star5328_*

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Posted 22 September 2010 - 10:57 PM

I'm already attempting bluntnose minnows in a 14g tub, I have 2 hungry/growing grass pickerel at about 5.25-5.5" each. Spawning sunfish in another would be A.) A backup plan B.) Extra feeders C.) Something I've always wanted to do. I'm thinking next spring i'll get a huge tub or trough and transfer the greens outside and out of the way. I'm thinking at this point I'll use greens for the spawning experience and O-spots for my 29 once I get the pickerel into a 75 or 125 (hopefully within the next month). Of course when the o-spots do spawn I'll have no choice but to try and raise fry :) Heck maybe by then someone will have figured out how to accomplish raising the fry.

#13 Guest_star5328_*

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Posted 22 September 2010 - 11:02 PM

Greens being greens, Would I be better off with a larger tub? Maybe go bigger footprint instead of deep? How deep would you say is plenty deep enough that they'll be comfortable spawning? Also still need an approx. length that they're ready to spawn. If I get a bigger tub, should I still try to get 1 male and 3-4 females? Ideally I'd have a smaller number of fish as I don't want to be buying 10 tubs and filters to separate them if the male decides he wants to kill everyone.

#14 Guest_star5328_*

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Posted 23 September 2010 - 02:01 AM

Sorry for the 4325 consecutive posts...Someone please just tell me that rearing Ospot fry indoors can be done so that I can avoid using potentially huge and aggressive green sunfish! Looking to get started on this asap! Although if my bluntnose spawn soon they'll keep me busy enough :)

#15 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 23 September 2010 - 09:28 AM

Hold your horses! This isn't a high-volume forum.

Ask Brian Zimmerman (smbass) about the orangespot fry. I don't know if he raises his indoors or not, but he should have some insight. Do you have room for an outdoor tub? A well-vegetated tub will produce plenty of microfoods for your fry; you could raise the fry in the tubs or just transfer water/excess plants from the tub to the rearing tank.

I have seen greens in spawning mode that were no more than two inches in length. However, this may be a function of population density or other factors that you couldn't (or shouldn't) necessarily replicate in your tank. I would guess that any green 4" or more is mature. You'll definitely want a bigger tub and lots of structure.

#16 Guest_smbass_*

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Posted 23 September 2010 - 10:08 PM

Don't be concerned about your pH being around 8, mine is quite similar. I don't know why so many people insist the three Enneacanthus sunfish need acid water because they do not. I bred all three in a very high pH this summer outdoors. When I drained out the blackbanded pond I checked the temperature and pH and it was 10 and temp was 95F. All 7 adults were still alive along with 75 rather nice sized juveniles. I have about 10 left that I am selling this year. I also have had an easier time getting blackbandeds to spawn in a tank than either of the other two species in that genus. I have not had any success with o-spots in a tank but have bred them in 4000 gallon ponds the last 2 years. Other sunfish species that I have had spawn quite easily in an aquarium include various strains of longears, bantams, and of course green sunfish.

#17 Guest_basssmaster_*

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Posted 06 October 2010 - 10:13 AM

I recommend trying either Longear sunfish or dollars, as you get the best of both worlds a small colorful species that breeds easily and they produce large fry that are easy to raise indoors with limited resources. Ive bred and reared Longear from multiple stocks(<5) and have produced close to 100 individual spawns indoors, for easy indoor culturing of sunfish, Longear are my personal favorite.

#18 Guest_star5328_*

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Posted 06 October 2010 - 10:24 AM

I recommend trying either Longear sunfish or dollars, as you get the best of both worlds a small colorful species that breeds easily and they produce large fry that are easy to raise indoors with limited resources. Ive bred and reared Longear from multiple stocks(<5) and have produced close to 100 individual spawns indoors, for easy indoor culturing of sunfish, Longear are my personal favorite.


any strain good? How many do you recommend? What if i mix longears/dollars?

#19 Guest_centrarchid_*

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Posted 06 October 2010 - 02:13 PM

any strain good? How many do you recommend? What if i mix longears/dollars?


Your local longear would be ideal. A 29-gal aquarium is tight for spawning many Lepomis spp., even easy ones like longear and dollars. Dollar males from what I have seen are more inclined than longear males to damage mates in the confines of smaller aquarium. Mixing from purpose of breeding in my opinion not best option. When fish of similar size, western dollars bully the longear. We have tried to make hybrids with these guys naturally in a very large tank where we could see everything going on using our sympatrically occuring longear and western dollar. No spawns produced voluntarily to my knowledge although cross is viable when made manually.

#20 Guest_star5328_*

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Posted 06 October 2010 - 02:45 PM

Your local longear would be ideal. A 29-gal aquarium is tight for spawning many Lepomis spp., even easy ones like longear and dollars. Dollar males from what I have seen are more inclined than longear males to damage mates in the confines of smaller aquarium. Mixing from purpose of breeding in my opinion not best option. When fish of similar size, western dollars bully the longear. We have tried to make hybrids with these guys naturally in a very large tank where we could see everything going on using our sympatrically occuring longear and western dollar. No spawns produced voluntarily to my knowledge although cross is viable when made manually.


Yea, i'm not trying to make hybrids, I just like both a lot. I may just go with Northern Longears and I can move a fish or two into a 15g tub if it gets ugly. How many should I go with? Will be visiting Brian Zimmerman on Sunday to help him get some fish inside or whatever else he's working on at the time, also buying some fish. Should I go with three to try to ensure a pair? 4? I doubt they'll be large enough to sex, which I want them to be very small to start with anyways as i'll be keeping them in a 10g for a month or two.




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