What kind of fish is it?

Basal cell...? I hope you're a dermatologist, and not a patient!

Disregard all of these other answers - they haven't a clue. What you caught there is an exotic. It looks very similar to a managuense cichlid (the south american jaguar cichlid - cichlasoma managuense), but it could also be a cross between a managuense and a mayan cichlid (cichlasoma uropthalmus), which is the newest aquatic exotic pest to invade south Florida waters. It is NOT a crappie, oscar, warmouth, etc. Here's some pics to refer to:

mayan cichlid:

http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?h=mayancichlid

jaguar cichlid:

http://www.schillmania.com/photos/35mm/image/colle...

BTW - regardless of the size of the fish, if you catch a mayan cichlid, oscar, or any other exotic fish in the state of Florida, it is ILLEGAL to release them. Eat them, or feed them to your pet, but do not let them go. Good luck fishing!

Don

Neon tetra's are a shiny fish, but they only grow to be a around 2". I like the Fancy Tail Guppies their colors are great and they give birth to live babies (You would need a place for the babies to hide or the parents will eat them). Another beautiful Fish is a red tail black shark, they grow to about 3-4" (they are not man eating sharks) Have fun with setting up the aquarium!

Pomoxis nigromaculatus (Black Crappie) They are known by various names including speckled perch, specks, papermouth, bachelor perch, calico bass, strawberry bass, or white perch.

When in doubt, count the number of sharp dorsal spines at the front of a crappie’s dorsal fin. Black crappie have seven or eight spines, while white crappie have five or six.

Spawning takes place from mid-March to mid-May, beginning when water temperatures

reach 60°F and peaking between 68° and 72°F. Crappie spawn in one to six feet of water, usually in the backs of protected coves, shallow island areas, under overhanging banks, on or near flooded brush and timber, or near submerged vegetation. Crappie can be caught year round, but the best time is during the spring spawning season when the fish are in shallow water and relatively easy to locate. Crappie often congregate in groups; if one is caught, more are usually present.

At first glance it looked like a crappie, but the body shape and fin allocation is wrong. Also, crappies don't have teeth.

At first glance I am inclined to say it is an Oscar. Saw a Roland Martin episode where he caught a few in the canals that looked identical to your fish.

Basal,

Am takin' a wild shot with link ~ Warmouth (link will take a few ta' load up, so be patient) ;)...

http://www.fishbase.org/Photos/PicturesSummary.cfm...

NOTE: I am more than aware of the fact that a Crappie not be a Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus) ~ might I suggest ya' not only read my response correctly, but look before ya' leap ie., "Sadly wrong"...

looks like a crappie

Maybe a Bluegill: http://www.centralfloridafishingreport.com/FishPro...

It is a black crappie. I catch them often. In slang they can be known as Paper mouths.

Black Crappie!