SUCCESSFULLY SPAWNING AND RAISING
THE BLACKBANDED SUNFISH (Enneacanthus chaetodon)
By Peter R. Rollo
2308 Cedar Lane
Secane Pa
19018
1-610-543-1660
North American Native Fishes Association
In their native habitat in South Central New Jersey, spawning
generally begins in May or when the water temperature approaches
70 F. On June 20, 1994 I collected two dozen Blackbanded
Sunfish, ranging in size from juvenile to adult. No pregnant
females were caught so I assumed I missed spawning. With two
dozen fish I was sure I had several pairs. The water conditions
found at the time of collection were no measurable hardness, pH
of 6.0 and a temperature of 75 F.
From the literature the spawning process proceeds in typical
sunfish fashion. The males construct a nest in the substrate and
await a ripe female. With the approach of a female, the male
begins to display with fins fully extended. The pair circle each
other and after a short time the pair stops circling, the female
releases her eggs and the male simultaneously fertilizes them.
The males then remain on their nests to fan and guard the eggs.
I maintained the Blackbanded Sunfish for the summer in a
"community" style 29 gallon aquarium in the house. The 29 gallon
tank is equipped with a Whisper 1 power filter with a home made
water current dissipator at the discharge. In their natural
habitat there is virtually no water current present. I am able to
get adequate filtration with minimal current. Aeration is
provided by a bubble wand attached to the back of the tank.
There is about two inches of gravel on the bottom and except for
a flower pot turned on its side and a few rocks, the bottom is
bare to facilitate cleaning and fry collection (I will cover this
later). To help satisfy their requirement of lower light levels,
the light is attached to the back of the aquarium stand above the
tank and a thick growth of Water Sprite is maintained on the
water surface. This arrangement reduces the light intensity
significantly while still providing enough light for adequate
viewing.
The adult Blackbanded Sunfish will be wintered outside in my shed
and housed in a 20 gallon high aquarium. Filtration is provided
by an adjustable flow Visi-Jet 100 internal power head attached
to a sponge filter and an air driven sponge filter. Lighting is
provided by a florescent tube suspended above of the tank. The
light intensity can be lowered to appropriate levels by adjusting
the distance the light is above the tank. An inch and a half of
gravel is provided along with the aquatic plant Elodea or
Anacharis as it is sometimes called. This plant grows especially
well during the winter when the water temperature is below 50 F.
Minimal heating is provided using a submersible heater set on a
timer. This arrangement prevents freezing or major drops in
temperature. The heat is manually controlled and used only when
excessively cold. In the summer this tank is attached to a
chiller and maintained at an optimal temperature of 70 F for
spawning and raising of fry during the hot summer months.
Filtration is provided by a sponge filter attached to the chiller
intake line and by a power head attached to a sponge filter. The
shed is also equipped with a thermostatically controlled exhaust
fan to prevent heat buildups.
Initially I tried to acclimate the Blackbanded Sunfish to my tap
water, which is hard and has a pH of about 6.8. They started off
doing well but within two weeks their health started to decline.
Their appetites decreased and the most noticeable change was that
they lost most of their color. Since it was clear they would not
thrive on my terms I went to work turning their tank water into a
close duplicate of their natural habitat. On July 8, 1994 my
efforts began. The first problem to solve was how to soften the
water with the least effort. I decided to use a rechargeable ion
exchange softening pillow, which is placed in the filter box.
Using a five gallon container and an extra power filter, I
softened the water to levels that could not be measured by my
test kit. I also added Blackwater Extract to the softened water.
The softening process takes about one and a half to two hours per
five gallons. Prepared water is stored in five gallon bottled
water containers with lids. When I had prepared enough water, I
changed the water and observed any changes. Within 48 hours the
fishes natural color returned and they became active and hungry
again. Softening the water appears to be a very important factor
for maintenance of healthy fish.
The next problem was how to acidify the water. While softening
the water, I added pH Down to the water till I reached a pH of
6.0 to 6.2. The fish were slowly acclimated to this new water.
Once completely acclimated I sampled the tank water pH and found
it to be 6.8 instead of 6.0. I had neglected to consider that my
tap water has a high buffering capacity and the pH will rebound
to higher levels unless you exhaust the buffering capacity of the
water. The next time I made water and adjusted the pH to 6.0 I
waited several hours and checked the pH again. It had rebounded
as it had in the tank. The pH was adjusted again and let to sit
overnight. This time the pH remained the same. As an aid to the
acidification and conditioning process, I also filter the water
through peat prior to storage or use. The completed water is tea
colored, as it is in their native habitat, and takes a day to
make five gallons of water, but with the results I have gotten it
is worth the trouble.
In the summer the sunfish in the house are fed moderately every
other day, and in the winter, when they are in the shed, they are
fed sparingly every three or four days whenever the water
temperature rises above 50 F. Below 50 F the food in their
stomachs digests so slowly that it can actually spoil before
digestion is complete, killing the fish. Besides, I am trying to
recreate their natural environment, and minimal feedings in the
winter is part of it. The foods offered in the summer include
fresh hatched brine shrimp, frozen and freeze dried bloodworms,
frozen glassworms, small live crickets, small live cut up garden
worms, live daphnia, frozen shrimp, live mosquito larva, live
cyclops, live black worms and any other small insect I can catch.
The winter diet for these fish will be the same as that in the
summer except for some of the live foods that cannot be cultured
indoors, caught or bought.
As with my experiences with breeding Green Sunfish, the fish
endured an average summer temperature (in the house and shed) of
about 80 F and will experience average winter temperatures of
about 40 F in the shed. Thirty-three percent water changes are
made once a week spring, summer and fall. Twenty-five percent
water changes are made about once a month in the winter (when
water temperatures are consistently below 55 F). Don't be lax
with water changes. These fish may be small but they have big
appetites and produce
large amounts of waste. It is extremely important that all water
added to the aquarium during water changes be the same
temperature, pH and hardness as the water in the aquarium or you
run the risk of stressing or killing the fish.
It is now early August and all is going well. On August 8, 1994
I noticed that two of the Blackbanded Sunfish appeared to be
fanning eggs and were chasing the other fish away from their
designated territory. No nests were formally constructed. They
simply chose natural depressions already existing in the gravel.
I immediately began to consider the possibility that they were
spawning but had to be sure. The next night I noticed several
fish approach the guarded territories slowly and deliberately.
Some were immediately chased away and some were not. It appears
rival males and unripe females are chased away immediately while
ripe females are allowed to approach. To all approaching fish
the guarding fish, or the male, reacts by extending his fins and
then seems to look over the approaching fish. If the male does
not chase away that fish the odds are very good that it is a ripe
female. The male then starts nudging her belly area with his
mouth and body while swimming in a circular path, with fins fully
extended, around the female at a 45 degree angle. The female
stays mostly upright in a normal swimming position during this
process. The male was devoid of color, but the females' color
was intense. After a few moments of this behavior they stop
swimming, the female quivers, eggs are released and
simultaneously fertilized. The male then chases the female away.
Even during the spawning process, sex determination is virtually
impossible. Granted, there are color differences during
spawning, but immediately after spawning the colors of the male
and female return to normal and the sexes can no longer be
distinguished. During spawning when I briefly knew who was who
it appeared the female, when viewed from above, was broader
across the top of her body than the male. This is by no means
very accurate but does serve as a guide in approximating the
sexes, especially when spawning is near. This spawning process
continued till the next day. The eggs are amber colored and
extremely small (no larger than 1/32 of an inch) and adhesive.
Close examination of the nesting areas showed eggs covering the
nearby rocks. The rocks were removed and placed into the rearing
tank.
I now anxiously waited for the eggs to hatch. No chemicals were
added for egg protection. Clean, well filtered and aerated water
is sufficient. Based on my reference books the eggs of this type
of sunfish hatch in 3-5 days depending on temperature. The
Blackbanded Sunfish eggs hatched in two days on August 11, 1994
at a water temperature of 76 F and a pH of 6.2. The wigglers
were entirely clear and no visible markings could be seen.
Within 24 hours eye spots became apparent and the wigglers
started to take the form of fish 24 hours after that. Twenty-
five percent water changes are made every week and so far all is
well.
With regard to how long it takes for the wigglers to become free
swimming, my references estimate a few days to about one week
depending on water temperature. By August 15, four days after
hatching, all wigglers were free swimming. I offered a very
small quantity of brine shrimp but none were taken. I fed them
infusoria for the next two days. Three days after all were free
swimming brine shrimp were again offered and accepted. Further
experience has shown that infusoria is not necessary. One to two
days after the fish are free swimming they will accept newly
hatched brine shrimp. Feedings began twice a day, once in the
morning and once in the evening. The feedings require that the
aeration and filtration be turned down to a minimum. This
prevents the shrimp from being sucked into the filtration system
and aids the somewhat uncoordinated fry in catching their food.
The young fry cannot successfully capture the moving shrimp in
moving water. With still water it takes them several attempts
before they can capture the shrimp. This will quickly pass as
the fish grow and become proficient swimmers. It is easy to
determine which fry are feeding. Since their bodies are still
transparent, consumed shrimp give the fry orange bellies. For
variety the fry are also given
fresh hatched mosquito larva, live cyclops and microworms. I
estimate I have about 100 to 150 Blackbanded Sunfish fry.
The Blackbanded Sunfish have continued to spawn every week
through the first week of September, stopped spawning for the
remainder of September and have spawned twice in the first week
of October. The last few spawnings occurred in the flower pot
and in one case they spawned in the root mass of the floating
water sprite due to the fact that the flower pot was occupied by
a male guarding eggs. He was not about to let any others spawn
anywhere on the bottom of the tank. It appears that the
Blackbanded Sunfish are adaptable and not particular about where
spawning takes place. In all Blackbanded Sunfish spawnings I
removed as many of the eggs and/or wigglers as possible to ensure
that none would be eaten but on one occasion I decided to let the
male guard the eggs and fry to see what would happen. He did as
good a job as devoted cichlid parents. He continuously fanned
the eggs and chased away any fish that came close to his area.
Any wigglers that strayed to far were picked up in his mouth and
spit back into the nest. Once the fry were free swimming they
both went their separate ways.
Once the fish are transferred to their winter quarters spawning
will quickly stop as the water temperature drops. This will be a
welcome relief because all my available tank space is devoted to
the rearing of the Blackbanded Sunfish fry at various stages of
development. This spawning behavior is contrary to the
literature which states that "The Blackbanded Sunfish has a non-
protracted spawning season and low lifetime reproductive
potential."1 The spawns have been small to moderate, averaging
about 15 to 75 eggs, and have hatched in two to three days. When
I notice a spawn area it is covered with sheer material supported
by a plastic frame (6" long x 5" wide x 4" deep) to prevent the
eggs from being eaten. The males can still see through it,
continue to guard the eggs and in one case spawned again on top
of the egg guard. The wigglers adhere to the inner walls of the
material and the entire egg guard with wigglers is carefully
removed and placed in the rearing tank. So far this is the best
method I have devised to collect fry from the Blackbanded Sunfish
Community tank.
Several months have passed and a few of the fry are now between
1/4 to 1/2 inch, but most are about 1/4 inch. The fry are still
dependent on brine shrimp, live cyclops and microworms and
attempts will be made to wean these fish off the live foods as
soon as they are large enough. I was successful in doing this
with the Green Sunfish and hope I will be able to succeed with
these fish.
As they have aged, the young sunfish are beginning to show
physical attributes of adult fish. The Blackbanded Sunfish have
developed a horizontal black spot on the caudal peduncle and a
vertical dark band through the caudal fin. They also are
developing black vertical stripes and the two tone black and
salmon colors on their first dorsal spines (The first three
dorsal spines are black and the fourth is salmon colored) and
front edge of their ventral fins. Their overall background body
color is gold-silver.
From my experiences with breeding Green Sunfish, cannibalism of
the smaller fry by the larger fry began at about this time. So
far the larger fry have not attacked the smaller fry, as did the
Green Sunfish. My feeling is that their mouths are too small to
cause any damage at this age, let alone swallow their smaller
tankmates. The Green Sunfish were much more aggressive and
equipped with large mouths capable of easily swallowing their
smaller tankmates.
This group of fish will be overwintered as naturally as possible
in my shed as described earlier, and I look forward to spring
when I hope to experience additional spawnings of the
Blackbanded Sunfish.
REFERENCES
1. Wujtewicz, Donald. 1982. The Feasibility of Utilizing
Minnows as Forage in Farm Ponds. IV. A Life History of the
Blackbanded Sunfish Enneacanthus chaetodon in Hudson Pond,
Delaware. Natural Resources Report No.3. 12 pp. Delaware
State College, Dover, DE.
2. Thompson, Peter. 1985. Thompson's Guide to Freshwater
Fishes. Houghton Mifflin Company. 205 pp.
3. Quinn, John R. 1990. Our Native Fishes. The Aquarium
Hobbyist's Guide to Observing, Collecting and Keeping Them.
Countryman Press. 242 pp.
4. Raasch, Maynard S. & Altemus, Vaughn L. 1991. Delaware's
Freshwater and Brackish Water Fishes. A Popular Account.
Claude E. Phillips Herbarium. Delaware State College. Dover,
DE. and Society of Natural History of Delaware. 166 pp.
--- Big Ted 1.0 for Wildcat/5
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* Origin: Wrinkles & Feathers BBS 904-939-8404 Navarre, Fl (1:366/29)
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