Pumpkinseed Sunfish

[JIM]

Ok, hmmmmm....

Care to elaborate a bit on what exactly "right" means?

I have no idea how big a tank I should get, I figured I would start in a 10g and move up from there as it grows but if it is going to grow that fast I might as well go full size right away. How big do these guys get anywho? One inch per month......No way these little sunfish can get over a foot.....can they?? But what exactly is a proper tank for one of these critters long-term? Whatever size the tank is I can guarentee this will be the only fish in that tank.

As for feeding, I was planning to give it Hikari Cichlid Bio-Gold as a staple, with bloodworms and brine shrimp, maybe some peas or something green, and the occasional earthworm or livebearer fry.

I'm not sure about the amount to feed though.
One thing you really have to understand, is that I have never kept anything bigger than an angelfish. I am a planted tank guy, high light, CO2, small tetras and dwarf cichlids, that sort of thing. I'm not quite sure how much to feed this guy or how often.

Thanks in advance!

You will find that natives will eat til they bust, im not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but i feed my Pumpkinseeds, at least twice a day. Morning and nite and never more that i think they can eat up in about 2-3 minutes better to keep em a litle hungry than foul your tank with uneaten food, plus the more you put in the more that comes out the other end. But im in no hurry to have a full grown fish. I feed hikari pellets, frozen bloodworms, brine, mysis, mosquito larvae, and an occasional red worm

 

[JIM]

Oh Oh, where is sandtiger :0), lol, If you can get some pics and post them someone here will help you out, very recently SandTiger had a very good session on sunfish ID sorry you missed it, but if you just search this site, youll find it.

 

[cichlid fiend]

i had one in a 90 for 8 months cuaght him at about 4and a half long and didnt see much in growth but he did plump up really well

 

[JIM]

I am a planted tank guy (Quote) Thats great !! the fish love that cover, makes em feel more secure, and happy . and does wonders for the water quality. I cant seem to raise plants at all, but have had good success with floaters like hornwort, and the fish love it. someone above mentioned smaller species, whch are nice lots to pick from, and never get too big. But whatever you choose as your pet, someone here wil be glad to help. Native fish guys love the hobby and are full of info.....among other stuff lol

 

[DemonShark]

Would I be able to keep any tank mates with it?

Obviously in a smaller tank I can't keep any larger fish, but I was thinking something along the lines of crayfish.

And when is the best time of year to collect them? Can I do it as soon as fishing season opens?

 

[JIM]

wouldnt advise crays, look cool but are trouble makers, and will tear up your plants. i have other sunfish with mine in a 40 breeder and even a few Darters, but all are still small, its been my experience that sunfish in general act like chiclids, sometimes having extra stuff in the tank for them to chase spreads the agression around so they dont concentrate on any one fish too much. How big was your tank again ?? actually if youre brave you could ice fish now, they bite but pretty slow. as it warms up they become more active and bite more readily. Use a small barbless hook close to the bank, get some babys. Just be sure to follow all your state laws. Possum cops have no sense of humor when it comes to enforceing the law.

 

[greenearthlawns]

I have 2 pumkinseed sunfish in a 125 gal tank with several large fish up to 2 ft. in length. I caught these guys out of the neighborhood pond when they were about an inch long. I have had them now for about 6-7 months in my tank and they are about 6 in. now and very colorfull. I feed them tetra cichlid jumbo sticks.

 

[DemonShark]

Just be sure to follow all your state laws. Possum cops have no sense of humor when it comes to enforceing the law.

Canada actually.
Sounds like breaking up the ice is going to be a problem, in the shallow parts its frozen solid, and in the deeper areas its near a foot thick. Not easy. I think I'd rather wait for the ice to thaw!

How big a baby should I get? I could get year olds which are about 2-3", or I could easily net newborns, around 1/2-1".

 

[apharing]

they can get pretty big, my cousin cought one over a pound last summer!

 

[sp33dstix]

Yea...pumpkin seeds can get fairy large... I caught one that was just about 12 inches. I was shocked. Thought I was pulling out a bass. Just to give you some reference, the bigger sunfish will go for crankbaits too. Here is another going for a spinnerbait.