bluegill breeding

Question
i have a 20gl long with 2 filter pumps with 2 bluegill in it,1 bright (male) 1 not (female).until recently i kept them section off cause they fought.then i notice them putting their tails to each other so i removed the divider and they started swimming close and don't fight no more.the female seems to be getting a bigger belly and making a little dip in the aquarium gravel bottom.the male stays near her now but don't go to the dip.they get along fine now even seems like they play a little.do you know how long it takes the breeding process & any other info about process.knew with computers,have search the web but can't find the info.i would appreciate all the help you can give and so would sunshine & blackie.thank you

Answer
Hi Jerry,
The lovely Bluegill! I've kept one before and he was quite a lovely pet!

Interesting behavior you have seen in your two.

Here is a profile of keeping Bluegill in Aquariums-
http://www.petfish.net/kb/entry/52/

As the profile says, Bluegills seem to mimic closely the behavior including spawning habits of many common cichlids. Some info I found off a Zoo's website was: "The male bluegill builds a nest into which the female deposits her eggs. He guards the eggs until they hatch. The average life span of this species is 5 to 6 years"

Some other interesting tidbits of info I've found Bluegill spawning/courtship behavior are-

"Bluegills are colony spawners. They excavate saucer-shaped nests, usually in a group which resembles similar size craters. Once you've seen a spawning colony of 20 or 30 depressions in shallow water, you always recognize them."

"Bigger bluegill dominate nests within a spawning colony. There is some evidence of an actual hierarchy in nest sites, with the most "dominant" males getting the most desirable central nests and being most likely to attract a female for spawning."

"Bluegill normally live about
five years if not caught or eaten by larger fish
first. They can spawn at about 3 inches long and
at one year of age. Bluegill should be stocked into
new ponds in the fall and allowed to spawn before
stocking bass fingerlings the next spring. The
bluegill spawning season lasts from
April-September in Louisiana, beginning when
the water temperature reaches 70-75 degrees F. A
quarter-pound female will lay approximately
12,000 eggs; very large females may lay up to as
many as 60,000. After spawning, the male bluegill
guards the nest. In natural conditions, many nests are
clustered together, called spawning beds. In Louisiana,
mature bluegill can spawn as many as five times
in a season."


I have found a little info/profile on blue gills in aquarium you might find interesting to read too-
http://www.petfish.net/articles/Native_Fish/bluegill_aquarium.php

If I find anymore info I'll be sure to send it to you right away!

I hope this helps!!!
Karen~