Help with Identification Please.

[EYEYAMDA1]

A week ago, I went to the LFS to pick up a few convicts to attempt breeding them for the first time. When I was there they offered me a free baby bass that apparently came in with the feeder fish. They were unable to tell me what kind of bass it is, so I was wondering if someone here could help me ID it.
I currently have it in a small quarantine tank until I know its healthy, and know exactly what it needs. I've been feeding it frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp. (doesnt seem to eat flakes)

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[roadmaster]

Is a perch I believe rather than a bass. Would do well with chopped earth worms,crickets,pieces of shrimp or krill, and a quality cichlid pellet if you can get the fish to take them. would not place it with smaller fish and would not use live feeders.

 

[Aquarium1]

What size tank is it in?

 

[EYEYAMDA1]

Right now I have it in a small tank, 5 gallons I think.
What is suitable for this kind of fish? The plan is to put it in my cousin's 55. At the moment its about 2 inches long, but depending on the size it grows to, we may need to find something else to do with it.

 

[EYEYAMDA1]

Is a perch I believe rather than a bass. Would do well with chopped earth worms,crickets,pieces of shrimp or krill, and a quality cichlid pellet if you can get the fish to take them. would not place it with smaller fish and would not use live feeders.

Maybe that is what it is. From pictures I've looked at, it definitely looks more like a perch than any bass I could find.
Thanks. We definitely want to try to get it to eat the cichlid pellets. Don't know how we will do that, other than giving it no choice.

 

[mfdrookie516]

you'll need a 125g at least, maybe more

 

[Tony Gill]

It's definitely a Lepomis species, so not a bass (Micropterus). My guess is that it's a pumpkinseed (L. gibbosus), which may grow to about 10 inches, but are usually about half that size. So there's no need for a particularly large tank.

Tony

 

[Aquarium1]

Well it shouldn't be in a 5 gallon. Only bettas can be kept in 5g

 

[Tony Gill]

Sorry, didn't notice the 5 gallon bit! Yes, I would opt for at least a 30.

Tony

 

[Aquarium1]

However try to go with the biggest tank and best filter you can afford. And don't forget regular pwcs.

 

[EYEYAMDA1]

It's definitely a Lepomis species, so not a bass (Micropterus). My guess is that it's a pumpkinseed (L. gibbosus), which may grow to about 10 inches, but are usually about half that size. So there's no need for a particularly large tank.

Tony

So its a pumpkinseed... looks about right and the areas its found in sound right for it coming in with feeders. Thanks for the info.
I'm definitely not planning on keeping it in the 5 gal for more than a few days. I just have to wait for my cousin to be ready, then I'll be taking it over to him. I would love for it to be in as big a tank as possible, but 55 will be the best we can do at the moment. Thanks for all the help, and if anyone notices anything that says it may be something other than a pumpkinseed, let me know.
Thanks again.

 

[willsta2000]

Bass?

It looks like it could be a green sunfish to me. Pumpkinseeds look very similar, but are a darker/less green color variant. Same-same, if you ask me. It will be easier to identify when it gets older, assuming you keep it that long. I was actually given a couple also, however mine were from petco, when buying common goldfish for our pond, they looked like perch when they were babies. I ended up giving one to a nearby university, he now lives with a bunch of convict cichlids, and a snapping turtle, but he's doing quite well! I'd watch what tankmates you keep him with, because if one can coexist with breeding convicts, they are likely to be classified as quite aggressive. They are a moderately invasive family of fish.

 

[sliderfish]

It is not a green sunfish...It is trotline bait lol either a pumkinseed or longear sunfish...I kept a couple for a while but they are very messy and poop constantly esp. if you feed worms which will also make your take messy...no need for 125 gals but 75 would be more appropriate...Will probably max out around 6 inches in an aquarium but could go higher...it will eat feeder minnows as well as any other fish it can fit in its mouth

 

[willsta2000]

The reason I strayed from saying it was a pumpkinseed is; the university I attend has several pumpkinseeds on display in a tank, and the spots on its side are not monocolored, they vary from near red to orange to blue to green all on the same fish. I'm no ichthyologist, I just know the fish I had looked exactly as in the pic, and the gentleman who takes care of the fish there, of which they have countless species said it wasn't another pumpkinseed. The pattern of the highly reflective scales seems consistent to what I've seen on pumpkinseeds, just not the coloration. With as many potential crossbreeds as are seen, who's to say what it is for sure. There are so many fish in this family with the different colored tab on the gills, and more-or-less same body shape, it's so much easier to say what it could be than what it is not, especially until it is mature, which the fish in question is not.

 

[sliderfish]

After I looked again I have no doubt that it is a juvenile long ear sunfish...I've pulled thousands of these out of the rivers and streams around here..The adult males are spectacularly colorful with orange to red bellies on a greenish back ground and the spots are almost always blue, females are still colorful but look a lot like the juveniles such as the one in the photo. The males have a longer gill covers and on many females it can be quite a bit smaller. If you go to the stream in summer time with a flyrod you could catch 50-100 just like that in a day. It could possibly be a hybrid, but I doubt it.