Green sunfish

[kingkarter]

My next tank is going to be a 55g and i was thinking about trying Green sunfish, and i was wondering if a 55 would be to small? Allso if it's not are there and tip you guy's could give me about careing for them?

 

[MinnowMagnet]

no, a 55g should be fine for one green, u could probably fit two if they wernt so agressive, but id personaly just do one

 

[Racersk]

Initially, no, eventually, probably, yes.

Mine is housed currently with a 9" bowfin(juvenile), 5" blue spot gourami and a 9" highfin pleco. The sunfish at 6-7" is the boss of the 90 gallon I have them in-he nips at the bowfin (who could really care less)...The greens are supposed to be one of the more aggressive of the American sunfish species, it shows even with this light stocking.

I would house one in a 55 till about a year old, then it would be better to get a 75 or 90 for the additional width...If your wanting more natives, this would be a smart move anyways.

 

[kingkarter]

Ok thank's, Could i keep rainbow darter's in with them? if not what could i keep with them?

 

[Racersk]

Ok thank's, Could i keep rainbow darter's in with them? if not what could i keep with them?

If their quick enough to get outa the path of the green, probably. But again, due to the greens aggressive nature, only time will tell if that combo will work or not. Also, the Darters need current in the tank as they are river fish, the green not so much, as it is a lake dweller. Powerheads or a river flow set up might be a good idea.

I saw a river tank setup that used 2 power heads on one side, with 3 pipes under the substrate connected to the powerhead inlets (foam filters on 'T's) on the other, creating a one way flow through the tank. With a couple of strategically placed rocks or driftwood, the green should feel right at home.

 

[kingkarter]

If their quick enough to get outa the path of the green, probably. But again, due to the greens aggressive nature, only time will tell if that combo will work or not. Also, the Darters need current in the tank as they are river fish, the green not so much, as it is a lake dweller. Powerheads or a river flow set up might be a good idea.

I saw a river tank setup that used 2 power heads on one side, with 3 pipes under the substrate connected to the powerhead inlets (foam filters on 'T's) on the other, creating a one way flow through the tank. With a couple of strategically placed rocks or driftwood, the green should feel right at home.

The rainbow darter's are in lake's around here so i think they should be fine w/o a strong current

 

[gar man]

A 55 would be ok for life but a 75 or bigger would be better. They are very easy to convert to pellets or prepared foods and I've found that the smaller you get them the easier it is to convert them over to other foods. They are great fish and full of personality and I highly recommend keeping them atleast one time.

 

[critter_bob]

Green sunfish have a pretty big mouth, the better to eat little fishies with. I think your darters would slowly disappear over time.

I've been surprised to find that my darters have more personality, and are more fun to watch than any of the sunfish I have had over the years. I would suggest you try stocking up on the darters, and find some cool minnows for the middle levels and for some extra movement.

 

[warmouth]

Green sunfish have a pretty big mouth, the better to eat little fishies with. I think your darters would slowly disappear over time.

I've been surprised to find that my darters have more personality, and are more fun to watch than any of the sunfish I have had over the years. I would suggest you try stocking up on the darters, and find some cool minnows for the middle levels and for some extra movement.

I agree, if you want to keep tankmates for a Green in a 55g they will need to probably be hardy Bullheads, a bigger tank would definately be better.

 

[Noto]

If you want to keep darters with sunfish, try longear sunfish. They will eat very small fish, but usually do not eat fish the size of adult rainbow darters.