Stocking a tank like this with a few bluespotts, a few orange spots, and a
dollar or two might work. Cover is the key. Every fish needs a secure hiding
spot. Imagine that every fish can disappear in a blink into a crevice or
thick weeds. Stacking lots of flat rocks to make caves in the back of the
lower half, set some gnarled drift wood piecs on top of that and up the bag
even. Plant java moss , or rather wrap and tuck it, in the crevices of rocks
and around the roots. Try annubias and crypts in the foreground. Use water
sprite and or frog bit on the surface.
Secure, well fed sunfish generally don't get as aggressive, and keeping
temps at or below room temp will help this too. I keep several dollars in 50
gallon tanks without problems, however most of the tank is some sort of
hideing place, either cover like the rocks or wood, and masses of plants.
Feeding is the other thing. Bluespotts can have a hard time getting enough
to eat with aggressive feeding lepomis ( pumpkins, dollars, and oranges).
Also, often most of the species have a hard time adapting to prepared foods,
so be prepared to provide worms and other live foods. Shrimp pellets and
tetra color bits can be some of the best prepared foods to start out new
fish on. To make them more inviting, try rubbing the slime of earth worms on
the pellets after feeding a couple bits of worm to the fish.
Ray
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