Sunfish minimum tank size

[Rairdog]

In my experience to be honest... I'ved done a 55g with only 3 and NO MORE than three sunfish tank. BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT. I got them when they were fingerlings, they're still alive and in that same tank. Been 6years.... get a sump imho. Do not and I mean do not use smaller filters... Also make sure you give them different territories. Try to find which ones they like the most. Make the tank planted as well not like super super planted but enough where it cuts eye sight. Plus give them caves. Make ones out of rocks. They prefer them like that and they must be big enough for them to go inside and out without bending over. So you must first put them in there to see which territories they prefer. Make sure they do not get bullied. As well keep a watch full eye on them for the first few months... Anything older than 3inches in a 55g will probably not learn how to "deal" with each other well. And when you put the new fish. Make sure you put them on THE VERY FIRST DAY. Don't just catch one this day, then the other the next. You WILL see nitpicking in the first month but that's to achieve two things: 1)Choosing amongst themselves the leader, and the betas. 2) The leader WILL always have the pick of the best territory so they will establish it.

Make sure you don't put all the caves too close to each other. Like one has to be in the middle, and the others in the corners. All the caves should have more structures like more hidey holes within their own mini territories. I'd actually get them about the same size but make sure one is SLIGHTLY larger than the other. No more than an inch. This is to AID in the territory process(my opinion and what I noticed).

When you put them all the same size I kinda noticed they tend to fight longer. Make sure to put plants on each of their territories. Find plants they use in the wild. Broad leafed ones are good too. Feed them well. When young I'd feed twice a day if the tank is warmer(above 62 degrees) and below I'd feed less... Though I prefer to keep them at 68degrees. Not too cold or warm. Imo I wouldn't put them over 75degrees. I mean they "could" but they'd be stressed mostlikely in my honest opinion.

Try to put "dither" fish. Meaning any fish that are super fast and won't become meal to them and spend their time on the top. This is to distract them enough they're not always glaring at each other that often, don't spend that much money on the dither fish cause they may get eaten... But avoid anything overly annoying. Like danios are going to annoy the crud out of these fish. Something that "can" defend itself if needed but are likely to avoid fights.

Great answer. Bluegills are very territorial. Pumpkinseeds and longear are worse. Sometimes it isn't even territory intrusion. They just just see anther fish and pick on them.

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[Chub_by]

Great answer. Bluegills are very territorial. Pumpkinseeds and longear are worse. Sometimes it isn't even territory intrusion. They just just see anther fish and pick on them.

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I keep asking myself why people on here say pumpkinseed are aggressive.. I do believe you guys, but my 2 males never even size each other up, nothing.. maybe it depends on tank size, mine are in an outdoor pond.

 

[BuildingBlocks]

Thank you BuildingBlocks, your post was very helpful. Would bluegills be compatible with an oscar and green terror in 55? I don't know if I will for sure get a bluegill though. Still deciding.

I think people covered this but god no. For the love of all that is good. DO not and I mean DO NOT put any freshwater sunfish with ANY kind of cichlid. God cichlids will rip the living crud out of these guys. These guys are too stubborn to stand down to their superiors... Especially oscars. Oscars will not hesitate to take a chunk out of anyone out of line. If anything I'd put small bottom feeders that wont bother them; though I caution against corydoras. They have a spine so well lets put it like this. unless you want a skewered sunny then yeah go ahead. Remember in fish keeping it's better to be safe than sorry. I mean you COULD but I wouldn't guarantee anything. Btw. before you go set out to catch sunnies. Make sure you catch one from each lake you know so you can pick the prettiest ones. Like there's some sunnies in buddlake(a crappy lake in my neck of the woods ment for catfish, pike, perches and such) but the sunnies there are stupid looking. So yeah. But the ones by my creek have the best coloration of sunnies I have seen in my area. Soo you may wanna look before you decide cause once the fish is in that tank you can't put it back.

 

[BuildingBlocks]

Great answer. Bluegills are very territorial. Pumpkinseeds and longear are worse. Sometimes it isn't even territory intrusion. They just just see anther fish and pick on them.

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Depends on individuals. Never ever put TWO alpha sunnies in the same tank. You can notice by having a school of them and the two aggressive ones out of those are more likely to be "alphas" as well as the ones with a brighter coloration. Though that's just pure speculation in my part.

 

[MN_Rebel]

^ Seriously? Oscars are that mean? I've seen some smaller cichlids p'wned much larger oscars.

You can mix sunfish with American cichlids, especially less aggressive oscars as long as the water temperature isnt too high. Personally I seen a green sunfish beat the crap out of larger oscar. Depends on what species of sunfish, you can mix corydoras with sunfish.

But then again a 55gal tank is too small to hold all two aggressive fish and one lazy oscar.

 

[jpac716]

I think people covered this but god no. For the love of all that is good. DO not and I mean DO NOT put any freshwater sunfish with ANY kind of cichlid. God cichlids will rip the living crud out of these guys. These guys are too stubborn to stand down to their superiors... Especially oscars. Oscars will not hesitate to take a chunk out of anyone out of line. If anything I'd put small bottom feeders that wont bother them; though I caution against corydoras. They have a spine so well lets put it like this. unless you want a skewered sunny then yeah go ahead. Remember in fish keeping it's better to be safe than sorry. I mean you COULD but I wouldn't guarantee anything. Btw. before you go set out to catch sunnies. Make sure you catch one from each lake you know so you can pick the prettiest ones. Like there's some sunnies in buddlake(a crappy lake in my neck of the woods ment for catfish, pike, perches and such) but the sunnies there are stupid looking. So yeah. But the ones by my creek have the best coloration of sunnies I have seen in my area. Soo you may wanna look before you decide cause once the fish is in that tank you can't put it back.

You have that backwards I had a 7 inch bluegill kill a 14 inch oscar.

 

[klmt]

Agreed it wouldn't be the Oscar in most cases that you would have to worry about it would be the GT. I do believe however that certain panfish species can live with warmer water cichlids. Granted there must be adequate tank space. A 55 gallon tank is not large enough for a full grown Oscar or bluegill. And would be tight with a full size green terror.


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[suckermouth467]

http://www.petfish.net/kb/entry/53/ suggests 30 gallons at least.

 

[BuildingBlocks]

You have that backwards I had a 7 inch bluegill kill a 14 inch oscar.

Lol my oscar would kill any fish stupid enough to act all commando on it. Maybe that's just my experience. I put a 10inch bluegill in with my 4inch oscar. Bluegill had bite marks everywhere, chunks of tail ripped off and it was floating around the next day. My oscar in the meanwhile had a fat belly. xD

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Then again I sometimes do go fishing for bream, trout, and a few species known to be healthy and I end up filleting them and making them in small strips for my fish, turtles and frogs to eat(aquatic ones).

 

[MN_Rebel]

Did you just dumped a bluegill in the oscar tank? Usually any new fish are vulnerable to the attacks while try to settle down in the new environment. After the large sunfish settle down, the tables are turning on the smaller oscar and I have no doubts about it.