[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: NFC: longear sunnies
A little out of date.
But here it is.
Josh.
The Central Longear (Lepomis Megalotis)
As An Aquarium Species
By
Robert Rice
2213 Prytania Circle
Navarre Florida 32566
1-904-936-9261
With the increased interest in Natives over the past
decade a great many of our native species are being
rediscovered as an aquarium species.
Not since the 1920's have so many people inquired about
and begun keeping natives. The writings of people like John
Quinn ( A Netfull of Natives) and Larry Page ( Petersons
Field Guide to North American Fresh Water Fish ) and the
many excellent State books have helped to get out the word
and people are listening !
Many an avid aquarist, who is unfamiliar with our
natives is surprised to learn that our own humble Natives
have intense color, interesting temperament and a variety of
body types that surpasses many tropicals. When you combine
these with their ease of care natives are a class of fish
every aquarist should consider.
Not surprisingly the sunfishes are usually the first
Native fish people keep. The sheer number and types of
sunfish make them an excellent first native. They are easily
collected with hook and line or dipnet or seine. Not all
states allow netting of Sunfish so check out your local laws
for the who's and what's of your area.
As a rule they are very durable, tolerant of most
anything and tough as nails. In temperament they are usually
one or two notches below an Oscar (Aggressive but not
completely intolerant of other fish). They range from the
gentle Black Banded Sunfish (Ennecthaseus Chatedon) whose
graceful fins, angel like coloring, slow movements and
delicate temperament are a hit with the Discus crowd. To the
positively brutal Green Sunfish (Lepomis Cyanellus) whose
large mouth and pugnacious attitude make the Oscar lover in
us all smile!
The Central Longear is in my opinion the best sunfish
for the novice to keep. It's combination of color,
manageable size (under 6 inches in most cases) and
personable mid range temperament make it the ideal first
fish for the aquarist new to native fish. Its overall body
shape varies from region to region and sub species to sub
species. It can go from long and angular to rounded and
slightly reminiscent of the Discus shape. However it is its
life colors, that make this fish nothing short of
spectacular and the must see of the Sunfish family.
Here is how Bill Plieger describes them in his "Fishes
of Missouri" pg. 268.
"Life Colors: Back and sides blue-green speckled with
yellow and emerald; belly yellow and orange. Side of head
olive or light orange with emerald-blue vermiculations. ear
flap black, often with a narrow white border. Fins without
prominent spots or blotches. Breeding males have all colors
more intense, with the under surface of the head and belly
bright orange-red."
With that definition you can see why I am confident to
place them in any aquarium contest in any freshwater
category.
When finally in the aquarium Longear's quickly adapt to
captivity and will take in a variety of foods. I do mean
VARIETY, I have seen them fed everything from flake food to
cat chow, including all the standard frozen and live foods.
They are a natural for those who keep garden ponds and
don't want to keep Koi or any of the more standard species
of pond fish. They will thrive in an outdoor pond and can
often be over wintered with no ill effects. They will of
course spawn in such an environment and are a very low
maintenance fish. They thrive on insects that fall in the
water and mosquito larvae.
I have even known people who have kept ponds outside
near a bug zapper. Their Longears have thrived on the near
misses and half shocked insects! Now that's an easy to care
for fish!
If you are interested in aquarium breeding this
fascinating sunfish it's a snap. They behave in a similar
fashion to many tropicals in that the male will make a nest
attract a female and spawn on the site. He will then remain
on site guarding the eggs and fry until they become free
swimming.
The Longear Sunfish's must be excellent parents. One
several occasions while observing nesting sites. I have seen
various types of darters and shiners rushing in when the
male Longear is distracted and laying their own clutch of
eggs beside those of the Longear. The eggs are then cared
for by the Longear male along with his own. He is of course
none the wiser and the survival rate of the other species
shoots up dramatically.
In the laboratory with the proper diet, a temperature of
77 F., and an extended photo period they have spawned every
10-14 days for over a year! Now that is prolific, of course
in the wild those conditions are usually only met a few days
or weeks out of the year. So therefore the natural
reproduction rate is much lower.
Here's What Dr. George Becker in his classic state book
"Fishes of Wisconsin page 839" says about the Longear
sunfish.
"The Longear sunfish adjusts well to captivity. It is
not susceptible to injury from handling is not unduly
aggressive and appears to be a promising species for use as
a laboratory test fish (Ward and Irwin 1961, W.E.. Smith
1975). In the laboratory, W.E,.Smith was able to get the
species to spawn, to raise the young to maturity in 22 weeks
(males 10-12 cm, females 7-9 cm.) and to produce successive
generations under conditions of long photoperiod and a water
temperature of 25 degrees C (77F). The adults continued to
spawn with regularity every 6-10 days for 14 months."
With that information even an inexperienced aquarist
has a good shot at successfully spawning these gems.
I have found that the Longears from Missouri and
Arkansas are the most colorful and make the best stock to
start from. However You may find a different local strain
that catches your eye with just the right color and size mix
for you. If so, go for it. That is one of the great joys of
collecting is finding that local strain that catches your
eye. Let me know what you find!
One of the nicer things about the Central Longear is
its abundance and extensive range. If you live in the
eastern third of this country from Canada to Florida you are
in Longear country! So collection of suitable specimens is
not terribly difficult. They are easy to collect from a
suitable sight with seine, hook and worm or dry fly. When
you get one they are easy to identify. Their unmistakable
ear flap is up to 1/3 or their body length in size and
black as tar. I strongly recommend taking individuals under
4 inches as at that size they seem to adapt best to domestic
life.
If you like the Cichlid family I promise you,
you'll love the Central Longear. With his twisting palette
of colors he is as Colorful as any Cichlid and is as
personable as a fish can get .They are as easy to care for
as any fish I've ever kept. Why once I left some in a 5
gallon bucket after a collecting trip for over a week only
to find a male guarding a fresh batch of eggs! Mine commonly
eat out of my hand and will allow me to pick them up with my
hand! So if you thinking about going Native I have just the
fish for you.
If you are interested in keeping Native fish in the
aquarium I recommend you start with your local Department of
Natural Resources or your local North American Native Fish
Association regional chairperson (I am one). I can be
reached at 2213 Prytania Circle Navarre Florida 32566 if you
need further information.
robert a rice wrote:
>
> Does anyone have a copy of my central longear as an aquarium species
> article...its not on our site and I cant find it anywhere
>
> Robert Rice NFC President
> Save those Fishes, Join the Native Fish Conservancy
> http://www.nativefish.org
References: