Lepomis Punctatus

[backley420]

I dont even know if the lepomis punctatus is a cichlid or if thats what i have. But i think i got one by mistake from confusing it as a convict when it was a baby. Its in a 55 gallon tank with a pleco, green terror, and a convict.

He looked like a convict until about 3 weeks ago. He is now all brown with little spots that form stripes.
Longer and slimmer than the convict.

does this sound like a lepomis punctatus

 

[ox5477]

If it is a lepomis punctatus then your talking about a spotted sunfish. These are sub-tropical North American river fish. These need cooler water than your other fish need so he needs to be rehomed into his own tank. If you have a koi or goldfish pond, it would be good for him as it gives him other inhabitants and real water conditions.

Anyways, these get to about 6 to 8 inches so you'll need atleast a 45 to 55G for him when full-grown and just feed him normal cichlid food.