Hybrid sunfish
Lepomis macrochirus × Lepomis cyanellus
Also known asGreengill · Hybrid bluegill
Water parameters
Minimum tank: 400 L per individual at harvest size.
Feed and growth
- Feed protein
- 36% target
- Daily feed (warm)
- 3.00% of body weight
- Daily feed (cool)
- 0.80% of body weight
- Max density
- 30 g per litre
A 450 g adult eats about 13.5 g of feed per day at optimum. 10 fish at adult size: ~135 g daily.
Legality
Rules vary by jurisdiction and change over time. Verify with your local fisheries or wildlife authority before stocking.
| Jurisdiction | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| us-general | check local regulations | Native Lepomis sunfish; hybrid sunfish stocking is legal in most US states, though some require a permit. Verify locally. verified 2026-05-29 |
Unlisted jurisdictions default to "check local regulations".
Origin and habitat
The hybrid sunfish, or greengill, is a cross between green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus); the cultured form is usually a female green sunfish bred to a male bluegill. Produced since the 1960s for pond stocking and small-scale culture, it is favored because it grows faster than either parent and the offspring are heavily male, about 85 to 95 percent, so little energy goes into breeding. Hybrid sunfish are stocky, deep-bodied panfish that reach roughly 200 to 450 grams in culture, with white, firm, mild flesh much like bluegill. They are a staple of recreational pond stocking in the US, giving families a fast-growing, easily caught fish.
Climate and outdoor ponds
- Climate
- temperate (handles seasonal swings)
- USDA zones
- 4–10 (winter low around -34°C or warmer)
- Heating needed
- no
- Cooling needed
- no
Care notes
A practical aquaponics alternative to bluegill, faster-growing with built-in population control. The lopsided male sex ratio, 85 to 95 percent, means little reproduction to drain growth, and the few females present have reduced fertility, so although the hybrid is not sterile, breeding is greatly cut, sidestepping the stunting from overpopulation that hits tilapia systems without any need for hormones or hand-sexing. Growth is still slow by farm standards: even hybrids often take a year and a half to two years to reach a harvestable 200 to 450 grams, faster than pure bluegill but well behind catfish or tilapia, and feed conversion is poor, roughly 2.5 to 4 on a floating sunfish or catfish pellet of 32 to 38 percent protein. They are aggressive feeders that take floating pellets readily. Temperature runs about 5–32°C, best near 24–28°C; keep dissolved oxygen above 4 mg/L and ammonia low, at 10 to 20 g/L stocking. The fish is hardy, disease-resistant, and tolerant of handling, and fingerlings are widely sold from hatcheries, farm stores, and pond suppliers across the Midwest and Southeast. The real limit is fillet size: even big hybrids yield small portions next to tilapia, catfish, or bass, which is fine for family-scale personal consumption but uncompetitive for commercial sale. It suits home aquaponics in temperate US climates wanting a legal, easy, self-limiting fish with good flesh and broad temperature tolerance.