Sunfish information

[Montelboom]

IMO not all sunfish are aggressive it really depends on future tank size, gender, tank mates and species. Lets say the green sunfish particularly males are the most aggressive of the Lepomis while red breast sunfish are usually passive again IMO. Also to get a good sense of how big they might grow catch 6-10 nice size ones add their lengths together then divide by the number you measured to get a rough max size estimate Lastly sunfish actually can be acclimate to a variety of water temperatures if done gradually.

 

[screaminleeman]

Hey guys,
I am planning to start stocking my 150 gallon fish tank with sunfish. I am posting here to get some general information on Sunfish( temperament, behavior, diet, compatibility, etc) . I currently have a black ghost knife,a dinosaur bichir, and a school of clown loaches in a forty gallon to grow out. How do you think some sunnies would fit in with them when they get bigger?
Thanks

As others have suggested, the temperature requirement of the existing stock dictates the sunfish that are ideally stocked. That is to say that the Lepomis (green, blue gill, Warmouth, redbreast. orange spot, pumkinseed, dollar, longear, redear, . . .) might be kept separately in an unheated tank much less expensively! With that said there is a stellar cousin to consider that resembles a small full colored polleni paratilapia. My suggestion would be a colony of E. Glorius sunfish. Max out around 5" and are utterly stunning. Banded sunfish from the same genus could also be added with the Blue spotted sunnies. None of them would mess with the current stock, nor be in danger of them.




If you absolutely have your heart set on the Lepomis I would as strongly advise against the green sunfish with your ghost. It will be a tailless black knife.

Bluegills got to monstrous sizes for me with the tank raised heated approach reasonably quickly. Without predators, this is the only Lepomis potentially seriously outgrowing the community.

I haven't kept every Lepomis, but from the ones that I have kept here are my thoughts.

The only lepomis I would alternatively suggest from the ones that I keep in this order from best to less good:
1. Orange spotted (Mine have in general shown less aggression than most other lepomis) especially toward other Centrarchidae.
2. Longear (I have a strain of Missouri sunfish) While aggressive, these have relatively small mouths. You should be OK, but I have already seen clear dominance over the OSP's as well as a faster growth rate.
3. Warmouth (Mine have help there own with the Missouri Longears) and the largest one has become the dominant Lepomis in the tank even with a green in the mix).

I just lost my adult Pollini 14" to a #@!*^% Green Sunfish half it's size!

 

[Montelboom]

I agree with

 

[Montelboom]

Edit:I agree with screaminleeman but you dont want to pick a species to small because black ghost knifes and dinosaur bichirs are still predators so bluespot sunfish wouldn't last too long when the lights turn off when the BGK gets big but E.Glorius sunfish could work.

 

[jiaw37]

Thanks for all the responses! I just filled up the 150 gallon, and I was trying to get an idea of what to stock in it. So sunfish are better suited with fish like oscar, jack dem., etc?

 

[AMcCaleb]

Thanks for all the responses! I just filled up the 150 gallon, and I was trying to get an idea of what to stock in it. So sunfish are better suited with fish like oscar, jack dem., etc?

Your bluegills, greens, redears, redbreast, possibly longears and dollars, would all do best with the SA/CA cichlids, but your smaller species such as orangespotted, banded, black-banded, blue spotted, red spotted would do ok with smaller fish.


Honestly though, I wouldn't put sunfish in with the ghost knife at all. Either they'll be big enough that they'll pick on it mercilessly. Or, they'll be small enough that they'll be a potential food source when it gets bigger. Almost all of the sunfish species, with exception of maybe the orangespotted would fit into that category. And I've never kept orangespotted before so I can't say for sure that they won't pick on the ghost knife.

 

[warmouth]

Your bluegills, greens, redears, redbreast, possibly longears and dollars, would all do best with the SA/CA cichlids, but your smaller species such as orangespotted, banded, black-banded, blue spotted, red spotted would do ok with smaller fish.


Honestly though, I wouldn't put sunfish in with the ghost knife at all. Either they'll be big enough that they'll pick on it mercilessly. Or, they'll be small enough that they'll be a potential food source when it gets bigger. Almost all of the sunfish species, with exception of maybe the orangespotted would fit into that category. And I've never kept orangespotted before so I can't say for sure that they won't pick on the ghost knife.

Ive kept the O'spots and they would get eaten by a ghost knife if hes big enough, and if hes too small they would pick on him.