Head to head
Sunbleak vs Bleak
Sunbleak
VS Bleak
The sunbleak and the bleak are two small, silvery shoaling fish that feed on insects near the surface of European waters, and the sunbleak is sometimes mistaken for a young bleak.
| Sunbleak | Bleak | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Leucaspius delineatus | Alburnus alburnus |
| Relationship | A small fellow member of the carp family | A small fellow member of the carp family |
| Size | A very small fish, usually only 5 to 8 cm long | Usually around 12 to 15 cm long |
| Body | A slim, silvery body with a pale, silvery stripe along the flank and a short or incomplete lateral line | A long, slim, brilliantly silvery body with a bluish-green back |
| Mouth and feeding | An upturned mouth, taking zooplankton, small insects, and algae near the surface | An upturned mouth, snapping small insects from the surface, and eating zooplankton and some algae and plant material |
| Breeding | The female lays her eggs in a spiral string around a reed stem or twig, and the male guards them until they hatch | Spawns in shallow water in a shoal, with no parental guarding of the eggs |
| Notable fact | Was accidentally introduced to Britain in the 1980s and has since spread across southern and eastern England | Its scales contain a silvery pigment, guanine, once extracted to coat artificial pearls |
| Conservation status | Least Concern in its native central and eastern Europe, and invasive in Britain | Least Concern, widespread and abundant across Europe and east to western Asia |
Sunbleak vs Bleak: common questions
Which one is bigger?
The bleak, which is usually around 12 to 15 cm long, while the sunbleak is only 5 to 8 cm.
Which male guards the eggs?
The sunbleak male guards a spiral string of eggs wrapped around a reed stem or twig until they hatch.
Which one is invasive in Britain?
The sunbleak, which was accidentally introduced in the 1980s, probably with other fish, and has since spread across parts of England.