Breeding native panfish

[Fisherman_2]

Okay so here’s my thinking... everybody knows that Convict cichlids breed like crazy if you just put a male and a female together, but who’s to say that only one species of tropical fish are this way? Bluegill and green sunfish are in every pond from Florida to Ontario, which means they must breed readily. They breed all summer long as long as the temperature is warm enough. Do you think if I put a male and female bluegill together in a tank and raised the temperature to 70-75 degrees, they would spawn? Or might green sunfish be easier since they seem to be able to spawn at a very small size and in shallower water?

 

[KansasSunfish]

Okay so here’s my thinking... everybody knows that Convict cichlids breed like crazy if you just put a male and a female together, but who’s to say that only one species of tropical fish are this way? Bluegill and green sunfish are in every pond from Florida to Ontario, which means they must breed readily. They breed all summer long as long as the temperature is warm enough. Do you think if I put a male and female bluegill together in a tank and raised the temperature to 70-75 degrees, they would spawn? Or might green sunfish be easier since they seem to be able to spawn at a very small size and in shallower water?

Believe it or not it is trickier than it might seem. First of all, they won’t breed if they aren’t comfortable. And they need a pretty decent sized tank with plenty of cover to feel comfy. Many of the sunfish are so named because they come into the shallows to breed in the spring. Kind of tricky building a tank with cold deep water and warmer shallow water. Try tilapia first, I doubt you will be disappointed. They mouth brood so don’t freak out when it looks like they are trying to eat the eggs. They aren’t.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

They can be bred by keeping the temps in the upper fifties for a few months then raising the temp into the seventies.
Bluegill will produce more than green sunfish because they will spawn more times per season.
Expert tip: since bluegill don't grow once they reach sexual maturity keep the bluegill apart from eachother or other sunfish for a few years.
Bluegill also do well in outdoor goldfish ponds and will breed readily,be sure in outdoor enviorments to have hiding places for young.