North American Fish Profiles

[sandtiger]

White Perch
Morone americana

Picture from www.unb.ca

A small white perch that I caught.

Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fishes)
Family: Moronidae (Temperate basses)
Identification: Two dorsal fins, the spiny dorsal is tall and typically has 9 spines. Spine also present on gill cover. Unlike the other temperate basses the white perch has no stripes along it's side.
Temperature: Somewhere between the mid 50's and 70's.
Size: 12-22"
Lifespan: 7-10 years. Some sources say longer, up to 17 years.
Range:

North America: St. Lawrence-Lake Ontario drainage in Quebec, Canada south to Peedee River in South Carolina, USA.

Range info from www.fishbase.org

Habitat: No preferance for plants or structure. They school around in open water over gravel bottoms. Found in lakes and rivers as well as salt and brackish environments.
Diet: Smaller fish and inverts make up the bulk of this fish's diet. In captivity they are difficult to convert to dry foods but will usually take frozen. In the wild they are very fond of fish eggs.
Reproduction: These fish spawn in the spring scattering their sticky eggs all over the place. No nest are built and no care is given. Saltwater white perch will move into brackish or freshwater to spawn. Males mature by the age of 2 and females 3.
Notes: An interesting fish not often seen in aquaria. I have fished for these but have never tried to keep one.

 

[sandtiger]

Green Sunfish
Lepomis cyanellus

My green sunfish

Pumpkinseed and green sunfish are often confused but when seen side-by-side the difference is obvious. The pumpkinseed is the fish on the left. Photo taken by me.

Order: Perciformes (Perch-likes fishes)
Family: Centrarchidae (Sunfishes)
Identification: Unlike other members of the Lepomis genus these fish are more elongate and not as tall. They have a mouth more like that of a largemouth, terminal and large. They have a dark spot on the rear of both the soft dorsal and anal fins. Like other Lepomis sunfish they have three anal spines.
Temperature: 64-89 F. I would suggest a temp in the low-mid 70's.
Size: Sources vary a lot, some say 12" and others smaller. Most seem to say about 7". Southern specimens are said to grow larger.
Lifespan: 5-10 years
Range:

The Green sunfish is native to North America east of the Continental Divide and west of the Appalachian Mountains, from the Great Lakes region south to the gulf coastal states and into northeastern New Mexico.2 This fish has been introduced into many western states including Arizona, where it now occurs statewide.

From www.pima.gov

Habitat: Found in slow moving rivers and streams, most often in areas with abundant plant growth. Also found in vegetated areas of lakes.
Diet: Aquatic insects, crayfish, snails, fish and some plant material.
Reproduction: These fish spawn between May and August. The process is similer to most other sunfish with the male digging a pit in the gravel, often near a form of structure. Males defend the nest against other fish and green sunfish. They nest closely together and are constantly displaying towards other males. Females will enter the nest themselves or the male will display and lead her in. As he leads her in he will often make grunting noises. After spawning, often with multiple females the male will guard the eggs that will hatch between 2 and 4 days. After 5 days the young will venture off on their own. Green sunfish will often spawn many times over the course of the summer, sometimes every 8 or so days. These fish have the ability to hybridize with other sunfish such as bluegill and pumpkinseed.
Notes: I have only had my specimen for a short time, as of this posting about two weeks. Already he has proved to be an excellent addition and one of my favorites. He started eating the day after I caught him and now he eats out of my hands. He takes not only frozen foods but flakes as well. These fish are often said to be aggresive and their excitement over food is similer to that of an oscar. Mine dominates at feeding time, often stealing the food of others but beyond that he mostly keeps to himself.

 

[sandtiger]

White Sucker
Catostomus commersonii

Young sucker

From www.enature.com

From http://techalive.mtu.edu

Spawning Males

From www.naturenorth.com

Order: Cypriniformes (Minnows and Carps)
Family: Catostomidae (Suckers)
Identification:Sub-terminal mouth without barbels. Lower lip thinker than upper. Ten to 13 dorsal rays. Head top is round between eyes, not flat.
Temperature: 32-84 F
Size: 12-25"
Lifespan: 10-17 years
Range:

North America: throughout most of Canada to the Atlantic Coast, south through North Carolina to New Mexico in the USA, becoming less common in the southern High Plains.

Range info from www.fishbase.org

Habitat: Found in lakes, streams and rivers. Lives towards the bottom in both clear and turbid waters.
Diet: Not very picky, they suck up bits of various food stuffs off the bottom. They eat insects, plant matter, snails, clams, algae, fish matter and most anything else.
Reproduction:Spawning takes place in the spring, around April or May. They will spawn in shallow lake shores or swim upstream. They spawn over gravel or sandy bottoms. They do not build nests or care for their young. One female typically spawns with two males, one on both sides and usually at night. Eggs hatch in 5-10 days. White suckers mature in 3-8 years.
Notes: Most aquarist report these fish as difficult to keep . I have kept one for about three months before it died of unknown causes. Some say it is due to lack of the diverse food stuff they would get in the wild. Mine survived on various frozen foods (mysis, bloodworms, brine shrimp etc.) flakes and some plant matter. They are worth a shot, pretty interesting and active and grow to a very large size. They would make a decent bottom dweller in monster tanks with larger fishes.

 

[sandtiger]

Redside Dace
Clinostomus elongatus

Photo by Konrad Schmidt from www.gen.umn.edu

From http://www.kentuckyawake.org

Order: Cypriniformes (Carps)
Family: Cyprinidae (Minnows or Carps)
Identification: Pointed head and large mouth that extends past eyes. The scales are small and fine, the body slender. The back of the fish is a blueish or greenish color. They have a gold stripe running down their sides. Below the gold stripe is a red or pinkish stripe that runs from the gills to about halfway down the sides. Males are more colorful
Temperature: They tend to avoid both very warm and very cool waters. A temp in the 60's or low 70's is probably best.
Lifespan: 4 years
Size: 4", females are larger
Range:

North America: upper Susquehanna River drainage in New York and Pennsylvania, USA; Great Lakes (except Lake Superior) and Mississippi River basins from New York and southern Ontario, Canada to Minnesota and south to West Virginia, northern Kentucky, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa, USA.

Range info from www.fishbase.org

Diet: Mostly insects, where they share habitats these fish often compete with trout for food. They will often leap out of water for insects. Will probably take frozen foods in captivity.
Habitat: Typically found in streams with clear pools and rocky bottoms.
Reproduction: Spawning starts in May. These fish spawn in depressions in the gravel, often the nests of creek chubs. Both males and females will get breeding tubercles but they are more prominant in size and number in the males. No care is given to the eggs or fry.
Notes: These fish are very attractive and would make a decent addition to a native community tank. They are however sensitive to water quality and in the wild inhabit the cleanest of streams, this makes them good environmental indicators.

 

[sandtiger]

Sauger
Sander canadensis

From www.huntingandfishingjournal.org

Saugeye, the result of crossing a sauger and a walleye. Note the white spot on the tail like a walleye and the black spots on the dorsal like a sauger

From www.stammphoto.com

Order: Perciformes (Perch-likes fishes)
Family: Percidae (Perches)
Identification: Very similer to is close relative the walleye. They are smaller, lack a white spot on the bottom lobe of the tail and have a spotted dorsal fin. These fish can hybridize with walleye. The resulting fishis called a saugeye.
Temperature: Prefers cooler water, somewhere in the 60's is probably best.
Size: 39"
Lifespan: 7 years
Range:

St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and Mississippi River basins from Quebec to Alberta in Canada, and south to northern Alabama and Louisiana in the USA. Introduced into Atlantic, Gulf and southern Mississippi River drainages.

range info from www.fishbase.org

Habitat: Mostly found in rivers with sand or gravel bottoms. Unlike the walleye they are also found in muddy, turbid backwaters of rivers. Found in lakes but not very often.
Diet: Mostly night hunters, they feed on aquatic insects, fish and crayfish. Probably hard to convert in captivity to dry foods.
Reproduction: Spawing begins in the spring, sometimes as early as March when the water reaches 40 F and into May. Fish swim upstream and spawn in pairs or in groups and scatter their sticky eggs over various structure and plant matter. Eggs hatch in 10 days or longer. Maturity is reached in about 3 years.
Notes: Probably a better choice for fish tanks than the walleye due to the smaller size. Many people report that they are boreing in aquaria, resting on the bottom unless feeding. They are interesting to look at however and probably more active at night.

 

[sandtiger]

Bluegill Sunfish
Lepomis macrochirus

A bluegill sunfish that I caught in 2005

Order: Perciformes (Perch-likes Fishes)
Family: Centrarchidae (Sunfishes)
Identification: Typical sunfish shape, compressed and deep. Like other members of it's genus they have three anal spines. Black spot present on the rear end of the soft dorsal fin, also has long pectoral fins that typically extend past the eye.
Temperature: 33-96 F
Size: 10-12"
Lifespan: 5-11 years
Range:

St. Lawrence - Great Lakes and Mississippi river basin; from Quebec to northern Mexico. Widely introduced. Trade restricted in Germany (Anl.3 BArtSchV). Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.

Range info from www.fishbase.org
Habitat: Can be found in ponds, lakes and slow moving areas in rivers. Usually found in shallow areas with plant growth and structure. Prefers warmer water.
Diet: In the wild their diet mostly consists of aquatic insects and other inverts such as leeches and crayfish as well as some plant matter. Will also feed on smaller fish. In captivity they will often take flakes and sometimes pellets as well.
Reproduction: Spawning takes place between May and August, with late spring being the most active spawning time. Like many other sunfish males gather together in shallow water and construct nests and guard them, even against humans at times. Males display for females and lead them into the nest while making grunting sounds (like the green sunfish). After circleing around the nest together they rest on the bottom, male upright and female on her side, then the spawning begins. This may be done several times and when it's over the female leaves and the male goes on to protect the nest and eventually the fry. More than one female may spawn with the male and some females will also spawn with more than one male. Smaller males have been observed darting into the nest while spawning and releasing their sperm and then darting back out of the area, sneaking in their genetic material. To spawn them in captivity it is best to keep the temperature above 70 and lights on for about 12-15 hours daily. Eggs hatch in about 2 days and are swimming three days later.
Notes: These are probably the most common of all sunfish and make great aquarium fish. Their large size means they need heavy filtration and a decent sized tank, somewhere in the area of 55g. They should be treated a lot like oscars are. They aren't the most beautiful of sunfish but have aggresive and interesting personalitys, older and healthy individuals can display some nice colors that make them pretty to look at in their own right. They are hardy and easy to keep and they can adjust to tropical temps.

 

[sandtiger]

Creek Chub
Semotilus atromaculatus

One the chubs I used to have checking out my firemouth

Image from www.nanfa.org

Order: Cypriniformes (Carps and Minnows)
Family:Cyprinidae (Carps and Minnows)
Identification: Black spot on the front of dorsal fin. The back end of the upper jaw extends past the front of the eye. Tiny barbels of the back of upper jaw.
Temperature: 32- 86 F
Size: 12" Females generally smaller at 7-8"
Lifespan: 6-8 years, typically less
Range:

North America: Most of eastern USA and southeastern Canada in Atlantic, Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, Mississippi and Gulf basins as far as Manitoba, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas, but absent from southern Georgia and peninsular Florida; upper Pecos and Canadian River systems, New Mexico.

Range info from www.fishbase.org
Habitat: Small or mid-sized rivers and streams. They prefer clear water with a rocky bottom. Can also be found near the shore in lake habitats.
Diet: They mostly eat aquatic inverts and insect larvae but will also feed on smaller fish and other live foods. In captivity they will take flakes, pellets, frozen or freeze dried foods.
Reproduction: Spawning takes place between April and July in temps between 55-65 F. Males grow breeding tubercles and will develope a orange/reddish coloration. The males dig pits in gravel and moves the stones with his mouth. He will also build a ridge upstream from the nest with the rocks he collects. Sometimes the ridge can be up to 12" long. The females will swim backwards into the nest from upstream. The male grasps the female in a betta-like fasion and they spawn. When done the male will violently toss the female off to the side of upward and she will drift away and recover. The female will continue to spawn in other nests, releasing between 20-50 eggs in eatch nest. The male covers the nest with small stones. The male will make new nests and ridges for about two-three weeks. No parental care is given.
Notes: Very hardy and aggresive feeders. I have yet to keep a cyprinid species that is so greedy at feeding time as these fish. Adults would probably make decent dither fish in a tank with sunfish and also make a good schooling fish in large species community tanks.

 

[sandtiger]

With my new moderator powers I decided to clean up this sticky a bit. I did not mind the comments and suggestions but in order to make it more easy to navigate I decided to make it a profiles only sticky. More profiles are on the way and if you have suggestions or comments just PM me.