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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
--- Maximus/2 3.01
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