I want your guys’s opinion on this if you have kept these fish, or have heard of them. I’m bringing this up because I’ve been seeing them for sale locally much more frequently as of late.
Do Green Sunfish make good pets- (where they are legal to keep ofc) -and do their colors and behavior match up with large cichlids?
I’ve kept many in the past, and in my personal experience they (and many other natives) are very interesting to keep.
They give me Oscar vibes and have rad colors!
Although they are extremely aggressive, and will eat with their eyes often…
A con to some, a pro to some.
Posted by Jolonkussion
17 Comments
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Since this got taken down before because the image was thought to be a stock image, here is a picture of a green sunfish in an old tank of mine to prove I have kept them before.
I’ve kept one solo but he never really opened up. Remained skittish his entire life. I tried putting him with other sunfish and he would kill them, leading to his isolation. I’ve kept other sunfish species that I find far more interesting, such as Longear Sunfish. Not to say it’s a bad fish to keep, but that was just my experience.
Love em love em love em. Never kept one but I know people who have kept them in ponds. They get about Oscar sized, and I think ponds are best, but you could keep them in like a 125, or just keep juveniles until they outgrow the tank and then release them. And hey, if they get too big, they are delicious!
Never got that far, they taste way too good fried up
I’ve kept them before with cichlids and they are very cichlid like in their behavior. Very aggressive and willing to fight for hierarchy but the colors were spectacular. Mine wasn’t shy at all and would beg for food like a lot of other cichlids.
I’ve kept them before and had no issues especially when I caught them as fry in minnow traps seemed to be slight more docile as they grew up kind of know there was a tank hierarchy.
Even mid size ones were no more or less aggressive than any other cichlids I’ve kept.
Dollar sunfish are a more manageable size and make better pets
I love native tanks. I word – make sure it’s legal to keep them where you live. In my state I can keep them if I buy them from a dealer, with paperwork. Keeping wild caught is not allowed without a dnr permit.
And never release them back into the wild- even though they are native, they can pick up viruses or parasites in a tank that you don’t want to introduce into the native population.
They are voracious, the males can get pretty breeding colors when they are happy but they basically need a huge amount of space as their territory to be happy. So basically you end up with an a large angry gray oscar that will probably jump out of the tank eventually.
They’re awesome! Colors stay bright with red worms from the bait store/walmarz. Used to hand feed this dude, always hungry. If they can fit it in their mouths consider it eaten, RIP bristlenose i THOUGHT was too big to be food.
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There’s a fish conservation in the southern us that keeps one in a 125 gallon tank I believe.
Sunfish are great. I have had greens and pumpkinseed. Keep them similar to same size South Americans, only they are typically OK with groups and plants.
A 75 gallon is pretty much the minimum size though.
Fatten ’em up for a few months before they hit the pan!
Currently have one. Its a disaster, aggressive, messy. It was bait that made it home. Bad decision on my part. To be fair- its pretty cool to live feed it.
Always wanted a orange spotted sunfish but I assume they’re all kinda the same. Just cold water cichlids vs the tropical ones. I’ve kept bluegill and hybrids meant for a pond to grow out. Also bass for the same pond. Green sunfish hybrids might be the most aggressive fish I’ve kept.
Keep the tank well covered
idk but we have them local here and ive always wanted a pumpkinseed one :3 we had a whole group at my grandparents place on the lake that wed feed koi pellets to. you could catch them with an empty hook too (wed bend the barb on them so it could be removed easier without tearing the whole mouth as well)
ive read its like keeping koi; they need a good size for their waste and cold water