Origin
The sun perch (Lostrita) was brought to Europe from North America at the end of the eighteenth century; in the years that have passed since then, it has spread widely on the European continent, so that today it can be found almost everywhere, starting from the Atlantic Ocean and up to the Danube Delta.
In our country it can be found in the overflow ponds of the Danube, in the razelm-Sinoe lagoon system in the Delta, in some freshwater lakes near the seaside, in the rivers Timis, Bega, Crisuri, Cerna, Arges, Dambovita, Ialomita, Barlad, Siret, on the Lower Course of the Prut, as well as in many sweet lakes inside the country and in some ponds and ponds, where it is an undesirable species.
Feeding Perch Sun
The sunfish searches for food on the bottom of the water, feeding on fish roe, insects and insect larvae, tiny crayfish, worms, Bream, while devouring Fry of other fish species.
Being a consumer of fish eggs and brood, sunfish can be considered a harmful species. It is not tolerated in Carp farms.
Features Sun Perch
The body of the sun perch is tall, strong, compressed laterally, covered with large, relatively hard and rough scales.
The small mouth, ending in the" beak", is cut obliquely upwards. Between the two dorsal fins there is no dividing membrane, which makes it seem that it is one, the anterior swimmer has 10-12 bone radii terminated with spikes, while the posterior one, wider than the first, has no spiky radii, the ventral swimmer is provided with a spike, while the one below the tail has three. The caudal is rounded.
The sun perch has a very beautiful coloring, which is why it is appreciated by aquarists. Its back is olive-green, adorned with brown and blue spots, sometimes lilac, and the belly is silvery. On the sides it has orange spots. Under each eye stretches a golden-blue stripe.
On the membrane constituting an auxiliary of the operculum in the males of perch-Sun There is a black and a red spot. Young specimens are "adorned" with drawings similar to those of tigers, dorsal and caudal fins are gray, background on which are distinguished 3-4 strings formed by darker points.
The rest of the flippers are yellowish. As a rule, perch-sun grows to lengths of 12-15 cm, 20 cm specimens are quite rare.
It lives in overflow ponds and shallow-bottomed lakes, where there is abundant submerged vegetation, but it can also be found in the dead arms of rivers or in the quieter portions of flowing waters.
And here, as in lakes, perch-sun should be looked for in places where water, being exposed to the sun, is warmer than in other portions. Fish avoid deeper places where the sun's rays cannot penetrate and as a result, the water is colder.
Breeding Sun Perch
The fish reaches sexual maturity at the age of 2 years. Breeding takes place between May and June, but sometimes even in august.
It is a particularly prolific species.
The large number of eggs that it lays are placed in nests arranged on the bottom of the water, nests then guarded by males, the gelatinous shell of the eggs makes them stick to the bottom of the water.
