Everglades Pygmy Sunfish and Co.

[Deadeye]

Got a package in the mail today, containing the stocking for my new 10 gallon tank.
In it was 12 Malaysian trumpet snails, 2 male/female pairs of “red chested double sword tail” endlers (enough names attached here?), and 4 Everglades Pygmy sunfish.
Unfortunately one of the sunfish was DOA, so I really have only 3 now. I’ll look into getting a replacement shipped out (especially considering that one looks like the only male as of now) or see if the lfs can get some in.
They are joining a group of 10 or so ghost shrimp. Most of the stocking is US natives except an Anubias nana and the endlers, so at least somewhat an attempt at a southeastern US biotope.
Everything looks healthy except that the sunfish could definitely use some more weight on them. Hopefully they take to the pellets, or else I’ll have to go digging for scuds in my other tanks.
But enough talking, here’s some pictures:

 

[Deadeye]

Already off to a “great” start…
These fish are far pickier eaters than I had imagined. As a result, they haven’t touched any food I’ve offered (tubifex, bug bites, and the various live foods living in the tank). I just found one dead this morning. I’m down to one or two left (one never shows itself so I never know if it’s dead or alive unless I get lucky).
Any ideas on how to get the remaining ones to eat?

 

[jjohnwm]

I had Blackbanded Sunfish once (another pygmy species, a bit larger than yours) and they were about as tough to feed as any fish I have ever owned. They wouldn't touch anything other than live food for many weeks; I used live tubifex, brine shrimp, etc. I even collected mosquito egg rafts and dropped them into the tank; they fed on the hatchling mosquito larvae, and none ever managed to mature and transform into adult mosquitoes.

I eventually got them onto frozen brine and other frozen small foods, only by dropping the stuff into the filter outflow to get it moving. Sometimes was able to get them to strike at pieces released near them from a baster; target feeding is tough with skittish fish this small. A lot of the bits and pieces got missed and sank to the bottom, at which point they wouldn't even look at it. Always had to keep small Corydoras cats with them to police up the missed fragments.

Never had any luck breeding them. They laid eggs and defended their nests, behaved a lot like cichlids, but the young were always consumed and I never tried rearing them separately.

Very cool and beautiful little fish, but not the easiest to keep.

 

[The Masked Shadow]

 

[Deadeye]

I had Blackbanded Sunfish once (another pygmy species, a bit larger than yours) and they were about as tough to feed as any fish I have ever owned. They wouldn't touch anything other than live food for many weeks; I used live tubifex, brine shrimp, etc. I even collected mosquito egg rafts and dropped them into the tank; they fed on the hatchling mosquito larvae, and none ever managed to mature and transform into adult mosquitoes.

I eventually got them onto frozen brine and other frozen small foods, only by dropping the stuff into the filter outflow to get it moving. Sometimes was able to get them to strike at pieces released near them from a baster; target feeding is tough with skittish fish this small. A lot of the bits and pieces got missed and sank to the bottom, at which point they wouldn't even look at it. Always had to keep small Corydoras cats with them to police up the missed fragments.

Never had any luck breeding them. They laid eggs and defended their nests, behaved a lot like cichlids, but the young were always consumed and I never tried rearing them separately.

Very cool and beautiful little fish, but not the easiest to keep.

Well…that’s great. I’ll have to pick up some more options for them.
I’ll email the seller about what they were eating there for a starting point.

 

[Alygatyr]

Fish in the mail dude never heard of that before .. Awesome tank it looks so natural have to say not heard of sunfish either but they look really cool ,afraid I no nothing about these and from jjohnwm post they sound really fussy eaters and hard to keep but sure your in the right place for the right advise Dude.

 

[Deadeye]

Well…that didn’t last very long. Lost the last one today. I had ordered live foods online, but it just didn’t come in time.

 

[GolemGolem]

Aww, that sucks. Have not had any experience with pygmies, but my orange spot and long ears didn't eat for a week after collecting, stayed stacked and hid mostly for another while only eating mosquito fish fry, another couple weeks and they are all about frozen blood worms, but the orange spots are starting to take damage from the long ear and now I need to go get antifungals. . .Lots of potential - PITA though, and if they had started hungry I bet I would of lost them before this point.

 

[jjohnwm]

I've kept Long-ears, never Orange-spotted...and I'd say that Long-ears are typical of the other larger Lepomis sunfish species, similar to Pumpkinseeds, Greens and Bluegills (all of which I have kept). They switch very easily to dried or frozen foods, they aren't fussy or shy...they're practically cichlids! Sure, they might take a few days or a week to settle down, but even during that period they are likely going to be eating.

The Enneacanthus sunfish (the Black-banded I had) are much trickier; live food only, very shy and retiring, just a tricky fish to keep. And from everything I have read, the Elassoma genus (like the Everglades Pygmy) are even worse; more finicky and even more shy.

Deadeye , your experience with these fish seems to be very typical, unfortunately. And, yes, they started out already skinny and malnourished, which certainly didn't help. I think that they were already well on their way to starving when you got them.

 

[Deadeye]

It sucks as it’s a fish I had my eye on for a while. Once day I’ll give it a try, but start out with an established tank. I thought pellet training was an option here, and frankly I’d want to pick these guys up at an lfs.