Leopard ctenopoma + sunfish = ???

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Betta132

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Oct 18, 2015
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I have a 65g that was formerly a natives tank but is now more of an "I like these fish" tank. It's stocked with a (probably female) warmouth sunfish, a male longear sunfish, and a twig cat. I'm also going to add a pair of margined madtoms soon. Margined madtoms are about 6" long, reasonably slender, and don't care much about anything that isn't food. They're peaceful unless you're tiny and edible. I'd like to add maybe one or two more fish, and I like oddballs. Ctenopomas are high on the list of things I like, and leopards are both easily available and pretty.
I know a ctenopoma with aggressive fish is a bit of a concern, but I think it might be alright in this situation, mostly because a leopard ctenopoma is kind of like an African version of a warmouth.
  • Ambush predators
  • Reasonably large
  • Generally peaceful with inedible things
  • Mottled pattern
  • Similar body shape
  • Large mouth
  • Not terribly active
  • Lurkers
As long as the warmouth stays out of his one spot, the longear leaves him alone. Even when he does object, he loses interest when the warmouth doesn't try to retaliate. Since he doesn't particularly care about the warmouth, I don't think he'd care about an African warmouth. Besides, he's a Southern longear, they'll both get bigger than him.
So, if I can get a reasonably large leopard ctenopoma, does this have a fairly good chance of working?
Also, how do leopards eat? Do they kind of just sneak around and snick things up, or do they lunge and grab food once they learn that it's there? The warmouth is a lunger, but I've learned how to distract her- I just give her a piece of food big enough to fill her mouth, and then she can't steal the rest of the food.
 
So I read your post yesterday and I went and looked at the fish in question.....it sounds to me through your discription of the behavior of your current stock that you are trying to justify the acquisition of a Lepard Ctenapoma.....
You know it won't work.
The fact that your current stock have the potential to reach rather large size, the Lepard will never get past 6"(but the ones I've had never got bigger than 4-5") you would be setting yourself up for failure.....
However, I have seen gold fish live side by side with Red Belly Piranha like one of the pack....I saw it because the fish were mine...point is, we don't know what will happen and preaching about compatibility and wagging our finger in disapproval is going to accomplish little. It is all about good husbandry. If we knowingly pour vinegar and oil together because we like it on our salad, do what makes you happy...only you are the one who has to live with the consequences good or bad.
I love the "whatever I like" tanks...hence the 12" Koi I have I my 180g..in my living room....with a school of Clown Loaches.....vinegar and oil.
 
I'm not describing their behavior because I'm trying to justify something, I'm describing it because fish behavior varies among individuals and I doubt many people are familiar with sunfish behavior. Also, I tend to give a lot of details- sometimes more than are needed.
If I knew for certain that this wouldn't work, I wouldn't try it. It's the fish that suffer if it doesn't work, and I don't want that. I'm here asking because I'm a bit uncertain but I don't see any major reasons why it wouldn't work.
The warmouth will get rather large, yes, but it's shown absolutely no regard for any fish that it can't eat. Unlike most sunfish, it's peaceful.
Longears from this area don't get large- 6" is the absolute max. Northern longears can reach 9", but I'm not keeping Northerns.

I've been doing more research on leopard ctenopomas. Pretty much everything I can find says that leopards are suitable tankmates for anything that's too large to be eaten and won't constantly attack them. I've also found a couple of articles recommending them as tankmates for the less aggressive cichlid species. Due to this, I'm going to try keeping a leopard in this tank as soon as I can find a reasonably large one to start with. I'll be closely watching them. If it doesn't work out, I have an alternate tank for the leopard, so I'll be able to move it to safety before anything bad happens.
 
Well, it sounded like you were justifying...no offense intended. You are probably right about the Longear....I've never seen or caught one much more than 5-6"...doubt they get much bigger in captivity....very pretty fish too. I have had Bushfish. They have alot of personality for a little fish...and they are somwhat aggressive.
 
I definitely won't be putting a baby one in there, the warmouth might try to eat him. I'll either buy one at least 2.5" long or buy a teeny one and grow it out.

The biggest wild longears I've seen around here are about 5", with most of them a bit under that, and I had one previously that stopped growing at just under 6". The one I have now is younger, but it's from the same spot as the big guy, so I assume they're from the same genetic stock.
 
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