Spawning Procedure

In an effort to develop an indigenous biological agent for mosquito control, we selected the banded sunfish, Enneacanthus obesus for artificial spawning. These small Centrarchids are native to eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts, and southern New Hampshire.

Specimens were captured from Cape Cod ponds and housed in pairs in 20 gallon glass aquaria with an undergravel filter and a small flower pot for shelter.
Peat was added to each tank and pH was adjusted to between 4.5 - 6.0 with phosphoric acid.
Tanks were held at room temperature (18 - 22°).
Fish were fed a conditioning diet of brine shrimp, meal worms, and minced earthworms.
Pairs were induced to spawn by interperitoneal injection (0.1 Unit per gram of fish) of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG). One week later, the fish received a second dose.

Spawning Procedure

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