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Pair of blue spotted or orange spotted for a 20 gallon ?


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#1 Louie

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  • NANFA Guest

Posted 03 March 2015 - 01:51 AM

Hello

          I am considering a pair of blue spotted or orange spotted for a 20 gallon tank but not sure if bit to crowded for a pair and as important will they jump out of uncovered tank (tank is lit by hanging led light) ?

 

Well planted as far as lots java fern, anubias , moss on driftwood pieces .

 

These would be the only fish in the tank

 

 

Thank you



#2 gerald

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  • Wake Forest, North Carolina

Posted 03 March 2015 - 12:41 PM

Both species are fairly mellow.  If they spawn you might need to separate them, since males guard the nest and females are supposed to go away after spawning.   Yes they might jump out of an uncovered tank.  I would cover it, or at least lay 3" wide strips of glass or polycarbonate all around the tank perimeter.  (Polycarb doesn't curl up as bad as acrylic).


Gerald Pottern
-----------------------
Hangin' on the Neuse
"Taxonomy is the diaper used to organize the mess of evolution into discrete packages" - M.Sandel


#3 Michael Wolfe

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  • North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 03 March 2015 - 12:50 PM

I like the Enneacanthus in a small tank like that.  They love the slack water and just cruise around nicely in a heavily planted tank.  I have a few in a 25 gallon bow front that has lots of val but these are little dime sized guys that I am growing out.


Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#4 Betta132

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  • San Gabriel drainage area

Posted 03 March 2015 - 06:08 PM

I don't know much about sunfish in particular, but I wouldn't put a pair of 4" fish in a 20g unless they were something inactive, whereas I think a pair of 3" fish should be fine. In other words, I think the bluespotteds might be a better option.

Floating plants will help prevent jumping. You should really find a transparent lid for the tank, though, or do something to raise the height of the barrier.



#5 Louie

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Posted 03 March 2015 - 06:59 PM

Thank you very much everyone . Will go with blue spotted pair .

 

The tank used to house crystal shrimp but they were removed/bottle trap and put them in 55 gallon. It has been empty for couple of months as I trapped few baby stragglers .

 

This is old pic of it to give idea . It is now heavy with java fern and anubias that you no longer see the wood but it is bare bottom (you cant see the bottom) .

 

I had a feeling that suns would jump . Good thing I asked .

 

Will add polycarbonate rim which I will order online this week as no way will I even attempt to cut that .

 

Thanks again

Attached Files


Edited by Louie, 03 March 2015 - 07:00 PM.


#6 Evan P

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  • Knoxville, TN

Posted 03 March 2015 - 10:05 PM

What kind of LED are you using?


3,000-4,000 Gallon Pond Full of all sorts of spawning fishes! http://forum.nanfa.org/index.php/topic/13811-3560-gallon-native-fish-pond/page-3 
 

#7 Betta132

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  • San Gabriel drainage area

Posted 03 March 2015 - 10:45 PM

If you want to be certain they can't get out, perhaps get some acrylic or similar and just close up all the gaps between that tank and the bottom of the one above it. A couple of hinges and a handle could turn the front piece into a door.



#8 Louie

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Posted 04 March 2015 - 06:32 AM

Yeahson ,

                   It is an imitation of a round bulb but it is led rated for equivalant 60 watts light . Think the bulb itself uses 11 watts  . I picked it up at Lowes for under $20. It called BRIGHT WHITE . The Day light bulb stinks as does the soft white but the bright white makes all my plants grow like crazy . 

 

I use them on most of my tanks .  This is my 40 gallon long dwarf siren tank . A pair which breed every year and since I keep it 3/4 filled (or they will escape) I use it on one side of the tank and get so much floating plant growth that I give weekly plants to my turtles (outside pond) .

 

To the human eye the color is nice and bright but my cell phone picks it up a bit off and not as nice .

 

Betta ,

             Thanks I am going to silicone the pieces together so they lay on tank frame and make a 5 inch rim . 

Attached Files


Edited by Louie, 04 March 2015 - 06:33 AM.


#9 smbass

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Posted 04 March 2015 - 11:04 AM

I would agree that the bluespotted would be the better choice here. They are far less likely to do damage to one another if they decide to spawn and can live out their whole life just fine in a 20 long. I have kept both species along with almost every other sunfish species. Orangespotted are more docile than almost any other Lepomis species but they are still a Lepomis species. What I mean by that is they don't compare that well in behavior and aggression to the Bluespotted which are much more peaceful and better community fish.

Brian J. Zimmerman

Gambier, Ohio - Kokosing River Drainage


#10 gerald

gerald
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  • Wake Forest, North Carolina

Posted 04 March 2015 - 11:58 AM

Louie -- Have you managed to raise many siren larvae? Do you winter-cool the adult pair? pics?

(could start a new thread for this - I think some folks would be interested).


Gerald Pottern
-----------------------
Hangin' on the Neuse
"Taxonomy is the diaper used to organize the mess of evolution into discrete packages" - M.Sandel


#11 Louie

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Posted 04 March 2015 - 06:21 PM

smbass,

               Thanks , Yes I decided to go with blue spotted I wont crowd anything and just assumed that Orange spotteds which I have never actually seen stayed as small .

 

What I ordered to make the rim should arrive by Mon/Tue and than will get a pair .

 

 

Gerald,

              I cool them off every year by accident because Miami does get a week or more of  winter nights that can hit high 40s  . This year we had cold nights of think high 40s scattered for several days .

 

The room I keep them in has no heat (only ac) and for about a week the temps hit 60s and than boom temps back to 80s during day /70s at night and 2 days ago I found eggs which are now in the lower 20 gallon tank . IMO they eat them , perhaps only male eats them  .

 

I acquired them by accident years ago as the tank was only to sort out driftwood (some contain leeches or crays ) and realized I had 3 which came in 2 large pieces of driftwood .

 

Since than I kept them (2 began to squabble ) released one in pond I caught them.

 

Kept 2 which are a pair but I'll get good pics of them not my blurry cell phone and post them.  They are easy but temps in that room do hit high 0f 76 during day , 72 every night other than cold spells which get eggs right after.

 

I do 2 gallon water change by siphoning bare bottom every other day . They LOVE to hide in driftwood holes but I find the eggs on floating plant roots which grow thick .

 

Many larvae have died but many have made it . I find they prefer stagnant but CLEAN water (box filter is good) .

Attached Files


Edited by Louie, 04 March 2015 - 06:31 PM.





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