Freebie Sunfish from LFS feeder tank...care info

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knifegill

knifegill

Peacock Bass
MFK Member
Sep 19, 2005
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Oscar Tummy
Are there any crucial differences between Green Sunfish and Bluegill care? I have one of the two, I'm convinced, after an hour of poking around in this forum. He's in a ten g. quarantine being dewormed, etc. and I'm checking on whether or not there are any serious mistakes I could be making. He's not quite an inch long and still very transparent, but when in a net or if the light hits him right, metallic purple is a better description of his color. I can't do much for these high temperatures, but normal fish care is sufficient overall, right? Anyway, if the purple isn't a good clue to ID, it's okay. I'm pretty sure it's one of the two and as long as there aren't any major differences it shouldn't matter right away. I hope.
 
Yea normal fish care is sufficient to keep sunfish. I had a green sunfish and he was one tough fish. I dont think there is any crucial differences between the green sunfish and bluegill care
 
Thanks! I found more info and am pretty confident on Green. How big do they usually get? I see conflicting info...
 
Care is the same. Sunfish can be very hard to ID at that size; give him a few months and some of the key characteristics will show up more. Did you get him from local waters, pet store, bait shop, or other? WA apparently has several introduced sunnies, including not only bluegill and greens but pumpkinseeds, warmouth, rock bass, and crappie as well. If he's from a pet store or bait shop, he's 90% likely a green sunfish.

Record size greens are about 12", but I seldom see greens over 7-8".
 
He came from Arkansas, I believe, with imported feeders. Green is seeming more and more likely, which is good news where care is concerned.

7" means he'll need a bigger tank. Biggest I can go will probably be a thirty gallon. I think it will do, with good filtration and nitrates kept low.

Any foods to avoid, or are these guys pretty much like cichlids and enjoy eating a little of everything?
 
I had a green that was about 10-11 inches long. He was pretty old. We ended up letting him go in a manmade pond in my neighbors property. He just got way to big for the tank we had him in. We raised him from when he was about that size, he was a cool fish. We kept him in a 55 gallon and probably had him for 8 years. Sometime I wish we hadn't let him go. He would beg for food and jump out of the water for grasshoppers.
 
That's a big fella! What size tank was he in that seemed too small for him?
 
If you can get a 30 breeder instead of a standard 30, that would be perfect. Sunfish are generally not picky eaters. I suggest trying to get him eating flake or pellets for your convenience. While he's small he'll eat live or frozen brine shrimp, mysis, bloodworms, blackworms, etc. Nightcrawlers, live shrimp or crayfish, and market seafood are all good foods for when he's bigger. I am very leery of feeder fish; I've lost a couple of prize specimens to infected feeders.
 
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