Rairdog tank shots

[Rairdog]

Just an FYI, those pumpkinseeds are longears.

Lol....I was gonna post that but forgot. When I first caught these they looked like bluegill with vert banding and just a hint of blue. After about a month the orange started coming out. Then when I posted pics I started noticing different opiculars?.....My eyes are getting bad and a pic is almost better zoomed in than glasses looking in tank. There is a hybrid haven 50 yfs from my front door on the river. Just an overview

First got them. 2 rock and what I id as bluegill. Ended up with 8

Bad tank shot

Caught this one today same spot. Pretty close to size I have in tank.

Also these today

This one went in the tank.

And now for your enjoyment and my curiousity...

 

[Rairdog]

Ok all you expert googlers splain this.
Front

Right

Left

I have noticed the same traits in mine. I watch the black fade to color and different shapes in opiculars.....sp?. So suffice to say it has been an education.

 

[Rairdog]

More tank shots.

 

[fishe]

Ummm medium ear? Lol maybe just a unique longear


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[WahooWillie]

Those are two rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris) in your first pic in post #11. All of the rest of those fish are longears. Those sure are some beautiful longears. It's nice to have such nice looking fish nearby. the longers here in GA (the introduced population), look nothing like that. Our are much more drab (think yellowy color, with some blue flecks),yours are much more orange/red, and have stunning blue. Nice catch.

 

[Rairdog]

Those are two rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris) in your first pic in post #11. All of the rest of those fish are longears. Those sure are some beautiful longears. It's nice to have such nice looking fish nearby. the longers here in GA (the introduced population), look nothing like that. Our are much more drab (think yellowy color, with some blue flecks),yours are much more orange/red, and have stunning blue. Nice catch.

I forgot to mention rock bass and single out upper right longear. The rock bass always end up shy and never make it in my setups. I still think there is some pumpkinseed mixed in. Maybe the pumpkins have a distinct red border/fringe. From same watershed diff lake.

 

[klmt]

i once caught a bluegill with double blue opercular flaps on each side. I have always regretted throwing it back.

 

[ShadowBass]

They swallow fast and don't move. If you blink you missed it. They never move from their turf.

How long have you had 'em and what size did you get them?

I've had several juvies for months, caught them very small, and they all flood to the front of the tank when I come by waiting for food. I never even started these guys on live food, they took to frozen glassworms right away, and now they eat cut up fish and shrimp too, but they're still unsure about pellets.
I've had adults that were shy at first, but eventually they do the same thing.

They're also not as sensitive as people think. A cycled well maintained tank with plenty of turnover kept below about 72 degrees keeps them happy. No different than most coldwater fish. The biggest killer of sculpin is an uncycled or poorly maintained tank. They're sensitive to pollutants, which is why they're actually a pretty good ecological indicator.

 

[Rairdog]

How long have you had 'em and what size did you get them?

I've had several juvies for months, caught them very small, and they all flood to the front of the tank when I come by waiting for food. I never even started these guys on live food, they took to frozen glassworms right away, and now they eat cut up fish and shrimp too, but they're still unsure about pellets.
I've had adults that were shy at first, but eventually they do the same thing.

They're also not as sensitive as people think. A cycled well maintained tank with plenty of turnover kept below about 72 degrees keeps them happy. No different than most coldwater fish. The biggest killer of sculpin is an uncycled or poorly maintained tank. They're sensitive to pollutants, which is why they're actually a pretty good ecological indicator.

I have had them for a couple months. I think they were pretty much full grown when I caught them which make it harder to pellet train. The tank has been around 75 deg and has a good powerhead near the bottom. The only bad parameters are nitrates. My well water is high.

 

[ShadowBass]

For nitrates you can add something like prime to detoxify and you should be fine.

The longear with the big and little spot....I think most of one flap accidentally got moved to the other side

I don't see any pumpkinseed in your longears.

However, you may have two distinct longears in your region - central and northern. The northerns look a bit different, often smaller flap, and can also have a red fringe to it, similar to a pumpkinseed.
You could be catching both, or they may be interbreeding, causing some strange specimens.
Overbreeding will also cause a lot of weird variations and mutations, and you'll find that in places where there is not enough genetic variation due to overpopulation and not enough predators.