Here is some text from from an article about the Dollar Sunfish from author Robert Rice.
The Dollar Sunfish (Lepomis Marginatus)
Hiding in the back waters, swamps and small ponds of the Southeast is a seldom seen gem that is so beautiful , so pleasant to keep that it puts many tropicals to shame. It's behavior in captivity and ease of care are worthy of an entire book not just an article. It's life colors and habit remain basically ignored by the various professionals who have come across this shining star. It's size or lack of it (under 5 inches) relegate it to bait status and thus it is totally forgotten by the local sportsmen. With this ignorance comes apathy and sadly it is, quietly disappearing from it's traditional homes. The victim of our increasing pressure on the environment.
Once in the Aquarium they are a joy to keep They take a variety of foods without a problem. I feed mine frozen crawfish, raw oysters and a mix of worms and other live insects when available. They adapt very quickly to domestic life, they are not even a little shy as long as there is sufficient structure to make them comfortable. Within a week you can expect to see typical Dollar Sunfish behaviors. The males will begin to establish a hierarchy for everything from feeding to breeding. The females will float between territories with little ill effects. One of the most pleasant things about the Dollar Sunfish is that it's small mouth allows you to keep a variety of darters, shiners and Madtoms in a community atmosphere. So instead of relegating your sunfish to single species tank in a back room you can put them up front in the main display tank and not worry about your latest catch becoming a sushi bar!
If there ever was the classic example of a species that needs the Aquarist help the Dollar Sunfish is that species. He has no advocate anywhere except a few of us collectors. We have collected and kept him for generations trying to learn as much as we can about this little jewel, with the hope we can contribute to it's continued survival. Those same collectors are many times not taken seriously by either our local Department of Natural Resources personnel or the local Aquarist we meet.
ROBERT RICE
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Thanks for your comments on the tank, unfortunatly I bought my digital camera in 95, it really doesn't capture the prestine look of the tank.
