Unidentified sunfish

[Jakesfish]

I have a 20 gallon tank I'm using to start some fish and plants off in, but I've got a sunfish and Im having trouble figuring out what kind it is. Please check it out and help me identify so I can pair it with the right mate! And if possible, what sex it is and how to tell

 

[Blakewater]

I believe green sunfish

 

[Joshuakahan]

I have a 20 gallon tank I'm using to start some fish and plants off in, but I've got a sunfish and Im having trouble figuring out what kind it is. Please check it out and help me identify so I can pair it with the right mate! And if possible, what sex it is and how to tell

View attachment 1435195

Do you have plans for a bigger tank? If it’s a green which I think it is, it’s gonna get way to big for a 20 and greens are one of the meanest sunfish and they will eat smaller tank mates

 

[TheWolfman]

Looks like a very stressed out pumpkin seed. Please don't remove them from the wild and put in small aquariums. There's too many people emulating what they are seeing on you tube these days.

 

[Supergeorge123]

Looks like a green sunfish except the colors are off and the mouth doesnt look as large. Could be a green sunfish × redbreast hybrid.

 

[troutman54]

here is a pic of a juvenile green sunfish that are in a pond near my house located in michigan to compare.

 

[troutman54]

also here is a pumpkinseed that are from a different pond near my house to compare.

 

[Fishnerd360]

I agree, looks like a stressed out sunfish. Hope you give him atleast a 40 gallon in the near future.

 

[Magnus_Bane]

I have a 20 gallon tank I'm using to start some fish and plants off in, but I've got a sunfish and Im having trouble figuring out what kind it is. Please check it out and help me identify so I can pair it with the right mate! And if possible, what sex it is and how to tell

View attachment 1435195

This here is a female shell cracker, a.k.a red ear sunfish. I catch these all the time. The females tend to stay this sort of gray color while the males get a much darker green coloration along with the blue pearling. I find that they often school with bluegill, pumpkin seeds and green sunfish so hybridization is pretty common with this specie.

They are a great pet fish and have a very cichlid like personality/behavior. Also don't be surprised that she doesn't gain anymore color as the females will only white was over time. I would recommend getting atleast a 75g for a pair of em as they do grow upto 12+in. Theses here are a couple of pics I pulled from Google to show a max sized female and a near max sized male.

 

[Jakesfish]

I'm soon stepping them up to a 55 gallon tank. What makes it look stressed out? I watch my tank closely and it seems pretty chill and eats pellets and live food well