Gulf Coast Pymgy Sunfish

[Daniel]

I have some juvenile Gulf Coast Pygmy Sunfish that I might have to move soon. Currently they are in a holding tank for fish that will eventually go into the 1930s aquarium. This male (the dark colored fish behind the swordtails) is now king of this aquarium and all the other fish give him a wide berth. He hasn't fully colored up yet, but he has colored up enough for me to know he is a he. I guess they aren't juveniles anymore.

I might setup a breeding tank, but I am waiting on @Randy and @Bob to get theirs going (and see who can breed them first).🙂

[Kat_Rigel]

Beautiful fish and definitely on my bucket list... As an aquarist, I think "bucket list" might have a slightly different meaning. Lol I mean "eventually I want it in my bucket!"

[Larrimore]

Very cool.  They’re native to very nearby me.  Tempted to see if I could go “find” some. 

[Kat_Rigel]

1 hour ago, Larrimore said:

Very cool.  They’re native to very nearby me.  Tempted to see if I could go “find” some. 

I have been really in Wild Fish Ta ks' youtube channel recently. Of course this is the ONE year when I can't visit relatives in Florida for the holidays! I'm trying to embrace what is native near me, but I have some research to do.

[Cole]

4 hours ago, Daniel said:

I have some juvenile Gulf Coast Pygmy Sunfish that I might have to move soon. Currently they are in a holding tank for fish that will eventually go into the 1930s aquarium. This male (the dark colored fish behind the swordtails) is now king of this aquarium and all the other fish give him a wide berth. He hasn't fully colored up yet, but he has colored up enough for me to know he is a he. I guess they aren't juveniles anymore.

I might setup a breeding tank, but I am waiting on @Randy and @Bob to get theirs going (and see who can breed them first).🙂

@Daniel I will be in the market for a pair here in a couple of weeks! Would love to talk more about it!

[Bob]

7 hours ago, Daniel said:

I might setup a breeding tank, but I am waiting on @Randy and @Bob to get theirs going (and see who can breed them first).🙂

They website didnt actually have them in stock. Apparently that site sells fish they dont actually have. When you buy the fish they go and try to collect them. Terrible way to do business if you ask me. 

[WhitecloudDynasty]

What kind of swordtail are those? I love how simple they look

[Daniel]

4 hours ago, WhitecloudDynasty said:

What kind of swordtail are those? I love how simple they look

I bought them from Aquabid at the end of August 2020. They were described as: "Xiphophorus helleri, Yucatan. The auction is for seven 3/4 inch juveniles. They are a quite pretty fish with a Red-Orange thick horizontal bar the length of their body and a long yellow sword which is thickly edged in black. I got my stock from Europe in 2018."

I was looking for a wild type swordtail and these turned out better than I imagined they would.

[Paul]

@Danielgood luck with them. I’ve been toying with the idea of adding Pygmy Sunfish or Trout Goodieds to the collection next year. I hope you keep us posted on your progress. 

[Cole]

@Daniel please let me know when you are thinking or planning on rehoming some of the sunfish. They are top on my list. I’ll be looking for some here in about 2-3 weeks 

[pedrofisk]

Very cool. I grew up fishing in Minnesota lakes and have wanted a sunfish native MN biotope for a long time. 

[WhitecloudDynasty]

15 hours ago, Daniel said:

I bought them from Aquabid at the end of August 2020. They were described as: "Xiphophorus helleri, Yucatan. The auction is for seven 3/4 inch juveniles. They are a quite pretty fish with a Red-Orange thick horizontal bar the length of their body and a long yellow sword which is thickly edged in black. I got my stock from Europe in 2018."

I was looking for a wild type swordtail and these turned out better than I imagined they would.

They look amazing, I normally grow some swordtail  out in my koi pond every year.  Might try some of those next year.  

[Daniel]

Saw one of young males starting to dance for the first time. I am looking forward to this male establishing a nest and becoming fully colored up.

 

[Kat_Rigel]

Thats such a cool behavior!

[Daniel]

2 minutes ago, Kat_Rigel said:

Thats such a cool behavior!

The color and the dancing will both get more intense as time goes on.

[Brandy]

So there are collection trips to Peru...Why not collection trips to the gulf? I think a road trip may be in order... Lord, can you imagine the car full of buckets on the way back? I am sure I would be in trouble some how! 🤣

[Brandy]

@Daniel We should start a collection thread--Tips on how, when, and where to collect.

 

My area would be rich for really gorgeous sea life if you wanted to add a chiller. But naturally I want fresh. We have some Pumpkinseed sunfish here that are really pretty too though. I have seen them on hikes...

[Daniel]

I like native fishes and North Carolina makes it easy to collect them because here they are legally considered 'bait'. But for good reasons in other states possession of native fishes are restricted. What are the laws in California like?

@Taylor Blake, @mountaintoppufferkeeper, @Cole, @WhitecloudDynasty and many more on this forum keep native fishes. The Southeastern United States has world class diversity of fish species thanks recurring cycles of glaciation over the eons.

[Daniel]

One way to learn more is to check out these two books.

I got my copy of 'American Aquarium Fishes' from Bob Goldstein (the author) in exchange for a few Pygmy Sunfish. It covers everything and has some nice photos:

The 'Freshwater Fishes of South Carolina' book has good species pages with maps on each fish.

The sharp eyed will notice the Blue-barred pygmy sunfish on the cover of the South Carolina book. 🙂 And the even sharper eyed will notice the Rosario LaCorte book 'Aquarist Journey'  behind the South Carolina book. @Randy has several good interviews with Rosario on his Aquarist Podcast, which I highly recommend.

[H.K.Luterman]

Collecting native species is something I'd really love to get into, if I ever have the tank space. Looks like I'm located right in a hot spot here in northern Alabama!

[Daniel]

Just now, H.K.Luterman said:

Collecting native species is something I'd really love to get into, if I ever have the tank space. Looks like I'm located right in a hot spot here in northern Alabama!

It is the center of the Universe!

[Marnol D]

@H.K.Luterman well it seems like we arent far apart

[Marnol D]

I want a spring pygmy sunfish tank kinda. 

[Brandy]

55 minutes ago, Daniel said:

I like native fishes and North Carolina makes it easy to collect them because here they are legally considered 'bait'. But for good reasons in other states possession of native fishes are restricted. What are the laws in California like?

I am in Washington, but I believe technically the Pumpkinseed is a gamefish that was introduced to this area. I would need a fishing license to "collect" I am sure, but it is nobody's business when/if I kill and eat them...as long as I don't release fish to the wild or start selling them I think I am pretty safe, though I would need to check on that to be sure. However that map confirms what I suspected, that around here, aside from a few species, the pickings may be slim.

[WhitecloudDynasty]

In NC all you need is a fishing license to collect, but you'll have to stay out of statepark and stream with native trout. There is also a creek limits but its in the 100s. Native fish can be share but not sold.