* Original Area: NANFE
* Original To  : Steve (1:366/47)
                              
  The Orangespot Sunfish ( Lepomis Humilus ) as a aquarium
                          species.
                              
                         Robert Rice
                    2213 Prytania Circle
                    Navarre Florida 32566
                       1-904-936-9261
Lately in the aquarium trade a little guy from North America has begun to 
make a big splash. This fellow has nabbed the
interest of cichlid fans and coldwater purists alike. His
color , durability and ease of care have made him a big hit in Europe. 
Meanwhile in his home land he is relegated to
bait species status. Virtually ignored by those who should
know him best. What's the problem? Did this guy commit some horrible crime? 
Is he unsuitable for American aquarists? The answer is of course no. This 
fellow is the Orangespot
Sunfish. This prophets crime is having no honor at home.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Orangespot sunfish let me take a moment 
to fill you in. The Orangespot is a small
(less than six inches maximum, usually less than four)
sunfish who inhabits a great deal of the country. It's
tolerance to poor conditions and breeding colors are famous with those of us 
who collect regularly. He can be found
thriving in the most unpleasant of ponds living on less
oxygen (1.7 PPM) than most fish could even dream of. The
thing that fascinates aquarium buffs is his look. His
breeding colors are beautiful beyond definition and he adds to this  some 
fascinating territorial behaviors year round. So for the sake of objectivity 
I'll give you the description Plieger gives in his "Fishes of Missouri"
pg.267...............Life Colors : back and sides greenish
with silver-blue reflections, belly white or yellow. Lower
sides marked by numerous reddish-brown spots. Ear flap black with a broad 
whitish margin. Fins plain, without prominent
spots or blotches. Breeding males are among the most
brilliantly colored of Missouri Fishes.: the spots on the
lower side are red or reddish-orange; the belly and fins
mostly reddish-orange; and the pelvic and anal
fins...............
In there native range (most of the eastern half of the
country) they are often the most common sunfish available.
They will colonize new waters at a surprising rate and can
stand up to temperature extremes that would kill most other fish. They are 
voracious mosquito larvae eaters and most
likely beat the gambusia in that role. I have found many
local strains with a high amount of blue vermiculations in
their gill flaps. Which makes them all the more beautiful as an aquarium 
species . They are without a doubt one of the
nicest fish you can own bar none.
In the aquarium they are hardy and make an excellent single species tank. As 
a community fish they are good but not
excellent as they either become to aggressive or to shy
depending on conditions and tank mates. They will eat all
types of food and lots of it. They are easy to rear and to
spawn in a captive environment. When the temperature hits 75 degrees F  these 
fellas are usually trying to spawn. I have seen them spawn in set ups as 
strange as 2 gallon tanks and 5 gallon buckets. Research shows a reproductive 
rate of 2.9 kg/ha (Whiteside and Carter 1973) which is very high and
lends to their credibility to their role as a pond raised
species for research or the aquarium. George Becker in his
"Fishes of Wisconsin" notes on page 842....a 69 mm female
held 1.159 eggs...The transparent amber eggs are 0.5 mm in
diameter and slightly adhesive and cling to stones ,pebbles and sand grains 
on the floor nest where they are constantly fanned by the male....
Dr. Becker also notes that the Orange spot sunfish produce
courtship sounds that are species specific (as per pers.
com). I find them to be one of the most fascinating of our
Native Sunfish. To see males display in all their color with their gill flaps 
flared is an exciting sight that one does
not soon forget. Since they are usually classified as a bait fish they are 
easy collect with suitable seine or dipnet. If you come across a spawning bed 
and pull up a spawning
aggregation in a seine the intensity of color is literally
breathtaking.
As you can see I strongly believe the Orangespot Sunfish is very well suited 
for the Aquarium and it's popularity in
Europe supports My position. Yet somehow we here at home
have not given them a second look (or in many cases not even a first look). I 
find it ironic that every year I get calls from overseas asking me if I know 
someone who can get them
Orangespot sunfish in large numbers. I usually send them to friends of mine 
who breed Orangespots as a forage fish for
Bass ponds. Meanwhile totally ignoring the more lucrative
pet market here in the States.
So with all that going for them why the cold shoulder? I
believe the main reason is as American aquarist we have been conditioned to 
believe that anything from somewhere  is
better than everything from here. Unfourtunatly that is as
far away from the truth as a statement could be. In a
practical sense is their any difference between Cichlids,
Discus or American Sunfish for the aquarist .They have many things in common. 
They differ morphologically but they do
have  similar niches in their native environments. They also share similar 
strengths that make them excellent aquarium
species. Last but not least all are species that are
generally considered at best as food fish  in their
countries of origin but are prized as aquarium species by
the rest of the world.
Take a moment and consider what role the aquarist should
play in the preservation of native species. What if local
aquarist would get involved. What if they took the time and effort to know 
just a few species from a few bodies of water from their area. Imagine 500 
aquarist in a mid size city ,
each of them aware of the local bodies of water and their
inhabitants. Who would notice a problem first, the 10
Department of Natural Resources Employees or an aquarist out looking for 
shiners ?  With the sheer numbers of aquarist
out there they could be a strong voice for what I call
"Rational Naturalism". "Rational Naturalism" is simply the
understanding that there is nothing wrong with hunting,
fishing ,or development or any of the other wonderful uses
our Natural resources provide. However when our stewardship of those 
resources is so bad that we threaten the existence of species or the 
environment necessary to support that
species then we have a problem. We must, in those
circumstances act quickly and decisively to fix the problem or that problem 
will overwhelm us .
There are many types of sunfish,darters and shiners that
make excellent aquarium species. So next time you consider
setting up a  new tank or just get tired of the same old
same old try something new, something native. Instead of a
trip to local fish shop you could make a quick trip to
Europe or the pond down the street wichever one is easier
and pick up some Orangespot Sunfish you won't be
dissapointed.
The author is involved with NANFA ( North American Native
Fish Association) and speaks regularly about native fish. He can be reached 
at Robert_Rice@Oblique.org or 2213 Prytania
Circle Navarre Florida 32566
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