Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Fish ID request

I recieved an email of these pics from Shawn and he provides the following:

I stocked my new pond in April and I stocked it with HBG,CNBG and RES.

I am catching several of these fish and they are a little longer and not as compact as the HBG's.

The dark spot behind the ears are a light green and are not as black as the HBGs. They also have a white belly.

I was wondering if these were green sun fish.











What would you tell him ?

Being a newbie I wont say I am right but, I would say green sunfish. If I caught that fish in my pond he would be a goner.

Either a next generation HBG, or a Green Sunfish is my guess. It could also be one of the original HBG stockers that didn't grow too much??

I'm noting the blue lines near his eye, and the the yellow "anal" fin.

I ment to add this link it is pretty good for ID of fish if you look around there are more then just the sunfish famaly.

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/efish/families/greensun.html

Very good pics IMO Shawn.

It's definitely got GSF genes in it - stripes by the mouth and yellow fin edges. But the vertical stripes on the side look like a BG trait to me.

It seems large for a possible F2 HBG offpsring spawned this year.

Shawn: Do you have pics of your original stocker HBG for size, shape, and coloring comparison?

I love these fish ID threads, even though I'm usually wrong.

Who wants to tackle a judgement based on the mouth size? I'm really lousy at that.

Based on the mouth size I think it is a hybrid, it just looks too small for a green sunfish.

A very healthy looking Hybrid cross with a lot of GSF traits, including mouth, would be my guess. I don't think it is a GSF that has mistakenly gotten stocked. It will be interesting to see how it/they turn out. The mouth size allows it to eat moe than bugs. I like it, but then, I don't have a problem with GSF.

I wouldn't toss it.

There will be a lot of variety in the offspring stocking both hybrids & coppernose...this may be the first of many that are questioned. If I had to lay down $1 and bet, I believe it's one of the original hybrids from April, otherwise, that looks to be a big 5" juvenile hybrid offspring.

Awesome water color...very nice Shawn !

Maybe I missed a post somewhere, but did Shawn ever state the size of the stockers? If they were 4-5" HBG he could have gotten an early spawn (in the south anyway) that would have produced an F2 with traits similiar to that pictured above. On the other hand if he did a late stock with 1-2" HBG we could be looking at an original. IMHO it is most surely a HBG of the GSF/BG cross. That's the thing with hybrids though ... kinda like people they have the tendency to display a variety of parental traits.

Deb

I am fairly sure they were 2 in. stockers in April.

IMHO they are the original HBG . I don't think they are GSF ( half GSF yes - as in BG X GSF). Everything about them from color to mouth to fins to shape says standard HBG. I would expect them to be that size +- by now.

Good point Deb about the parental traits and like BG they change colors a lot depending on the situation. Compare them to Gators' HBG below and the 2 following.








GSF



Long HBG thread.

http://www.pondboss.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=5&t=000439

Ditto! Additionally I see a bar pattern that is a bluegill trait which tells me they are not entirely green sunfish.

Who supplied the hybrids to Shawn?

Bill I don't know but I will email him Monday and ask. He is from La. The first post above is all I have. I know he found me here so I guess he may be reading.

Wow, thanks for the replys guys and gals! I stocked early April with GG from kens. At the end of april their were no signs of life. We threw cast nets and cought nothing and then we decided to sain it a only cought about 100 2 inchers. I wanted to order more from kens but they were out at the time and of course I was in my usual high gear and in a hurry. At the end of april i purchaced some HBGs from Dunns fish farm. I have fed them 6 times a week, once per day and they have been thriving. Most of the fish i catch look like the #1 photo that ewest posted. I have cought a 8 in fish like the ones ewest posted for me and and have cought several 7-8 in HBGs. Now it seems there are more smaller 5-6 inchers feeding. I can send more photos if you guys want. Thanks again for the info.

By the way. I think the loss of GG's was due to over liming.

ShawnB, as far as time lines go, did you sein and net the 100 2-inchers before or after introduction of the Dunn's HBG?

ShawnB good to have you posting. Just think if some of the GG survived and you get crosses with the HBG or RES you may start a new strain. Lets see-- a Red GG or a Blue GG Hybrid or if they really get mixed up a -- Blue eared redgill GG.

Just kidding but it may get interesting. The only GG I have seen are the pics from ML so I don't think I will be much help IDing any of those crosses.

Shawn what was the situation with the lime ? Hard to kill sunfish with lime in the SE unless you used hydrated lime.

awlright dave!

based on my young and growing experience with GSF, i too also vote that it is NOT pure GSF, but shawn.....they sure are beautiful fish....and a beautiful looking pond!, congratulations on that.

i think the mouth is too small, no trace of black dorsal or anal fin spots, and white rims on basal fins not strongly developed....although i am still questioning potential hybridization in the fish pics below, consensus is they are just big pure GSF...for comparison....

Sunsil,
Before the Dunns GBG's.

Ewest,
I used a 100lb bag of ag lime. Some one I know said I needed to lime so I did. I'm not sure if I should have listened to him but too late now. After a couple of days i saw several small fish floating on the edge of the bank.

D.I.E.D.

Thanks for the kind words and thanks for the info!!!