Pumpkinseed 30 gallon tank

[fishlids]

I want to put some pumpkinseed's in my 30 long tank. Getting the tank set is no problem, however I had a few questions regarding the fish.

1. Is there anything you do to the fish before you add it into the tank? like treating it with something? Or keeping it in a seperate tank or bucket for a while?

2. A few years ago i tried to set up a bluegill tank, and when i put them in, my tank was a complete mess, and the bluegills would go crazy, hitting the glass, swimming fast, and jumping around. Is this normal? Since after all it is a wild fish.

3. Do you think I would need a heater, can they survive in warm water, like 78 degrees? Usually pond water is really cold. Often times boosting up the temperature shows out the color of fish. Does that also work with native fish?

4. How many Pumpkinseed's can i fit into a 30 gallon?

5. Is it normal if they drop their colors when i'm moving them? how long will it take them to settle, and behave like calm fish, and be happy? (show the beautiful colors that they have).

6. Are they aggressive among each other?

7. Just curious, how can I tell apart from male and female? ( I know I'm far from getting them to breed, but just wondering).

I was planning on getting about 4, is that a good number for a 30 gallon long?

 

[fishlids]

Anyone has answers?

 

[brian1973]

there are a few here that I know of that keep natives...be patient and hopefully they will find this thread and answer. there is also another forum for natives NANFA Forum -> Captive Care Discussion

Heres what I can answer..heater is not needed, and from my experience fishing for sunfish once water temps reach high 70's low 80's these fish seek cooler deeper water and become less active.

I believe they can be aggressive

IMO a 30g may hold 4 smaller ones for a while but not long term, these fish have the capability of reach around 10".

found these 2 links the first one is mainly taxonomy, the second seems to be a in depth article on keeping and breeding.

Pumpkinseed Sunfish
Spawning the Pumpkinseed Sunfish, by Joanne Bockstael

 

[alter40]

Check out that NANFA forum for sure. I am actually just starting into native fish keeping so I don't really have too much info on these fish yet.

I can tell you that you don't want a heater and I have also heard that most sunfish will get aggressive toward each other, some more then others though. For a 30g tank I would say that you would probably only want to keep 1 pumpkinseed in there.

Try posting these questions on the NANFA forum and I'm sure you will get some good quick answers there.

 

[fishlids]

Thanks a lot, I didn't know there was a whole forum just for native fish!

 

[seastaar88]

1. When I bring home fish, i quarentine them for about a month to six weeks (in my case, i have a 10G QT tank) in the QT i typically add about 5g of stream water to dechlorinated water and slowly acclimate the new fish to the 50/50 mix over the course of an hour or two then add the fish to the QT tank.

2. was the tank cycled? were there plants and driftwood in the tank? the bluegill was probably very stressed out. it would be helpful to have enough things in the tank so it can hide, etc.

3. i don't use a heater with natives. not necessary.

4. pumpkinseeds are much like goldfish in their bioload. two tops.

5. yep, when they are stressed, their colors fade. could take a few hours, could be a few days for them to color up.

6. they can be very terrestorial in a small tank. the pumpkseed i had and loved went after any fish in a tank with it.

7. it's tough to sex.. mostly subtle coloration, size and temperment. males tend to have brighter colors.