White crappie
Pomoxis annularis
Also known asPapermouth · Sac-a-lait (Louisiana)
Water parameters
Minimum tank: 800 L per individual at harvest size.
Feed and growth
- Feed protein
- 40% target
- Daily feed (warm)
- 2.00% of body weight
- Daily feed (cool)
- 0.70% of body weight
- Max density
- 20 g per litre
A 600 g adult eats about 12.0 g of feed per day at optimum. 10 fish at adult size: ~120 g daily.
Origin and habitat
Native to eastern and central North America, through the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and Mississippi basins, from New York and Ontario west to Minnesota and South Dakota and south to the Gulf, with Gulf drainages from Mobile Bay to the Nueces in Texas. A sunfish-family panfish closely tied to the black crappie, it is told apart by its six dorsal spines, against seven or eight in the black crappie, and a slightly more elongated body. Adults usually run 25–35 cm and a few hundred grams, reaching about 53 cm and 2.4 kg at most, and live up to ten years. White crappie eat zooplankton, aquatic insects, small fish and amphibians. They tolerate and even favour turbid water more than black crappie, though they actually grow faster in clear water. The white, flaky, mild flesh is excellent, hard to tell from black crappie on the plate, and the fish is a hugely popular sport and table panfish across the US South and Midwest.
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 warm-water panfish for aquaponics, much like black crappie but tuned to the warmer end of the range. Sources put its preferred band variously from the high teens to the high 20s Celsius, so call it best around 22–28°C within a tolerance of about 5–31°C. It tolerates warmer, murkier water than black crappie, which suits southern and southwestern systems, though clearer water gives better growth. Fish reach a harvest size of roughly 20–25 cm in 12 to 18 months on high-protein feed of 40 to 45 percent, with feed conversion near 2 to 2.5. The usual crappie problems apply: slow growth by farm standards, difficulty weaning fingerlings onto pellets, which must start with very small fish, and cannibalism between size classes that calls for regular grading. Stock lightly, around {density:5}-{density:10}, since crappie stress and turn aggressive when crowded. Keep dissolved oxygen above about 4 mg/L and ammonia low. Pellet-trained fingerlings are best bought in, though commercial supply is patchy and seasonal, often surplus from sport-stocking hatcheries. The fish is legal in most states without special permits. Its standout eating quality makes it a strong pick for personal-consumption systems where flavour matters most.