Tankmate for Red Breast Sunfish?

[TigerTalon1]

I caught a georgeous male Red Breast and I need recommendations for some tankmates he wouldn’t eat because I think other fish well make him feel safer he is currently very skittish. He is alone, and I was thinking about adding a Warrmouth Panfish not sure if they would coexist though?
Tank Size: 40B

 

[james99]

Deadliestviper7

 

[TheReefer]

I caught a georgeous male Red Breast and I need recommendations for some tankmates he wouldn’t eat because I think other fish well make him feel safer he is currently very skittish. He is alone, and I was thinking about adding a Warrmouth Panfish not sure if they would coexist though?
Tank Size: 40B

Well given that the Red Breast Sunfish hits 12 inches I'm not sure I'd add anything in with him if he is in a 40 breeder, not sure if there would be enough space.

 

[Gourami Swami]

Yeah tank is going to be too small for sure, but in the short term you could try some darters or the like with him. Chances are that he will eat them. A group of the sunfish would make him feel secure; but in such a small tank the largest one would likely kill the others. Sunfish are much like cichlids in behavior, and a 40 isn't really going to be large enough for more than the solo fish.
There are some things other than more fish you can do to make him feel more secure. Can you post a picture of the setup?

 

[TigerTalon1]

I was under the impression they got 10in tops and are really slow growersso that’s something I learned and I have a 450g pond that has blue gill and panfish in it so when he outgrows the 40 I’ll put him in the pond.

The 40g has a cascade sponge filter and a penguin 350 on it. I also have an open space in the middle with caves on the outer borders, I temporarily added a few tiger barns and other tetras as dithers..

 

[Gourami Swami]

In a tank like that, low to the ground and with no real cover and an open layout, the fish will probably stay shy IMO. The lower fish are to the ground, the shorter the stand is, the more shy they tend to be, in my experience. I believe it has something to do with their instincts to avoid bird predators, and in a wild fish these instincts will be strong. Also the cover- I would add lots of cover in the upper reaches of the aquarium. Floating plants work well, as do large branchy pieces of driftwood. Right now, the fish is going to stay in the cave, since it seems like the only safe place. If it swims out into the open it's totally open to predators. It's also the only sizable fish in the tank so feels like a target.
I'd try the decor first. If that doesn't work, try putting it on a stand higher up. Keep the barbs in as dithers. If none of that works, might be best to just put it in the pond now.

 

[TigerTalon1]

In a tank like that, low to the ground and with no real cover and an open layout, the fish will probably stay shy IMO. The lower fish are to the ground, the shorter the stand is, the more shy they tend to be, in my experience. I believe it has something to do with their instincts to avoid bird predators, and in a wild fish these instincts will be strong. Also the cover- I would add lots of cover in the upper reaches of the aquarium. Floating plants work well, as do large branchy pieces of driftwood. Right now, the fish is going to stay in the cave, since it seems like the only safe place. If it swims out into the open it's totally open to predators. It's also the only sizable fish in the tank so feels like a target.
I'd try the decor first. If that doesn't work, try putting it on a stand higher up. Keep the barbs in as dithers. If none of that works, might be best to just put it in the pond now.

Actually it’s funny that you say that because I am planning on moving the 40g Breeder that he is in to the stand that my 20 is on which is a wide round table but I’m not doing that anytime soon. I’m gonna make a seperate thread on the pond soon and I want to keep something else so I think I’m going to give up on keeping him in the 40. He isn’t as colorful as I thought and he’ll like the pond better anyway.

 

[Gourami Swami]

Actually it’s funny that you say that because I am planning on moving the 40g Breeder that he is in to the stand that my 20 is on which is a wide round table but I’m not doing that anytime soon. I’m gonna make a seperate thread on the pond soon and I want to keep something else so I think I’m going to give up on keeping him in the 40. He isn’t as colorful as I thought and he’ll like the pond better anyway.

I think that is a wise assessment! Good luck. The pond sounds like a cool project, I'll keep an eye out for it as well

 

[Itsadeepbluesea]

Nothing will really go well with him in there. They can be quite territorial and will kill anything that is smaller. His tank mate would need to be something his size or bigger. The 40g is already to small for that type of fish.

 

[TigerTalon1]

Update:
The red breast is now eating from the top of the aquarium. He is still shy when I come close enough to the glass to see me, he hasn’t killed anyone yet and he doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of aggression.
When I’m bored of him I’ll put him in the pond. If you guys are curious what the pond looks like here is a pic. Once he gets less shy around me I’ll get a picture of the actual sunfish, he is just to too difficult to photograph when he hides whenever I get too close.