I got rid of my jerk adonis pleco and would like something to clean up abit of my 220. Never kept one. Would flagtails end up being jerks as well? I am getting mixed feedback.
Flagtail prochilodus
- Thread starter burntrubber
- Start date
I noticed your post when you originally posted it on Friday but didn't want to reply because my experience with flagtails is very limited, as i'll explain. So I left it for others to chime in, but no one has!!! So i'll bump it for you and others might add something worthwhile 
I bought one a few years ago, about 4". He went in a 180g with balas, tinfoils, cigars and clown loach. He was a great little addition, he just kept himself to himself. The problem I encountered, and pretty quick, was that he just was so slow when it came to eating, or more to the point, the others were wayyyy to fast for him.
Fast forward a couple of years and he was only 6". He should have been pushing 10-11". I needed to move him really into an environment that was less frantic at feeding time. When I did eventually move him into another 180g minus all the "pigs" I thought he might stand a chance and finally eat properly and put some size on...but he died soon after. A real blow to me, I was gutted.
So, as you can see, my experience is limited, and tinged with sadness too. All I can say is that mine was extremely placid but he was with boisterous fish. What they're like as they get big and maybe with timid tankmates I don't know, I hope others chime in and help you there. Good luck.
I bought one a few years ago, about 4". He went in a 180g with balas, tinfoils, cigars and clown loach. He was a great little addition, he just kept himself to himself. The problem I encountered, and pretty quick, was that he just was so slow when it came to eating, or more to the point, the others were wayyyy to fast for him.
Fast forward a couple of years and he was only 6". He should have been pushing 10-11". I needed to move him really into an environment that was less frantic at feeding time. When I did eventually move him into another 180g minus all the "pigs" I thought he might stand a chance and finally eat properly and put some size on...but he died soon after. A real blow to me, I was gutted.
So, as you can see, my experience is limited, and tinged with sadness too. All I can say is that mine was extremely placid but he was with boisterous fish. What they're like as they get big and maybe with timid tankmates I don't know, I hope others chime in and help you there. Good luck.
Thanks for the reply. My existing fish are more on the placid side so I'm not worried about that (they got bullied by that SOB pleco).
Well aggression isn't the issue here. The issue is that flagtails are very slow to react to food in the water, they are a grazer so they operate based on smell and taste rather then sight and touch, if the flagtail doesn't reach the food before the other fish do it will not challenge anybody for the rights to eat and will eventually starve itself to death. Allot of fish are like this actually where they are just not on the ball when they need to be and won't fight for what they need.
I have great news! Much similar to what the other replies said.
I currently have a 15in flagtail. The showpiece fish of my tank. What a stunner. I frequently see him mouthing the glass in consecutive columns like clockwork. Never had an algae bloom and even the sponge filters air line is spotless! He puts in some major work as well as treating even the smallest fish gently. very personable fish too, you’ll hear this from other as well, you can hand feed them if you put the effort in.
All around one of my favorite fish. Would highly recommend if you have the room!
Best,
Mason
I currently have a 15in flagtail. The showpiece fish of my tank. What a stunner. I frequently see him mouthing the glass in consecutive columns like clockwork. Never had an algae bloom and even the sponge filters air line is spotless! He puts in some major work as well as treating even the smallest fish gently. very personable fish too, you’ll hear this from other as well, you can hand feed them if you put the effort in.
All around one of my favorite fish. Would highly recommend if you have the room!
Best,
Mason
My experience is a bit different. I bought 5 or 6 small wild caught flagtails thinking I could have a school of them but one of them killed the others over about a year. I had a pair of silver arowanas in the same tank and when one turned up dead I thought they had fought. Later the other one also was killed and I suspect the flagtail killed both of them, even though it was quite a bit smaller. Now that the flagtail is over a foot long, I keep it with a megolodorus uranoscopus and a large pleco. It only seems to tolerate bottom dwellers. It is a beautiful fish that always attracts comments.
I have fairly limited experience as well.
I have owned 4 now over the last year and a bit. It seems from what I read, and have seen that there are a few different types of flagtails. I suspect even more than what are scientifically “discovered” and are on our record books currently. I also suspect these different types have slightly different behaviours and growth rates.
it seems to me as if each individual fish can have a radically different outcome. Some grow extremely fast while others seem to grow at a glacial speed.
I have owned 3 smaller types and one that was 14” or so. The smaller ones have taken over a year to grow from 4 to 6”.
I traded one away, to a friend , then sold another to a different friend. The one I sold went from 6 to 9” in only a few months. So it seems as if it had a rapid growth spurt after hitting 6”, which I have also read other people experience this same thing.
mean while the first original one I bought over a year ago seems to be 5” max and it was 3.5” when I first bought it.
none of my 4 have been jerks. But I have noticed and heard from others that flagtails often mimic their tank mates. So when I had mine with bass, it would act like a bass. Then I had it in with my aro it started acting like an aro. The little one I still have is in the clown loaches tank, and it often is seen mimicking their crazy behaviours. So if you have them with jerks, it can often mimic their behaviour.
very fun fish to have, I will be getting more at later dates. Lol
I have owned 4 now over the last year and a bit. It seems from what I read, and have seen that there are a few different types of flagtails. I suspect even more than what are scientifically “discovered” and are on our record books currently. I also suspect these different types have slightly different behaviours and growth rates.
it seems to me as if each individual fish can have a radically different outcome. Some grow extremely fast while others seem to grow at a glacial speed.
I have owned 3 smaller types and one that was 14” or so. The smaller ones have taken over a year to grow from 4 to 6”.
I traded one away, to a friend , then sold another to a different friend. The one I sold went from 6 to 9” in only a few months. So it seems as if it had a rapid growth spurt after hitting 6”, which I have also read other people experience this same thing.
mean while the first original one I bought over a year ago seems to be 5” max and it was 3.5” when I first bought it.
none of my 4 have been jerks. But I have noticed and heard from others that flagtails often mimic their tank mates. So when I had mine with bass, it would act like a bass. Then I had it in with my aro it started acting like an aro. The little one I still have is in the clown loaches tank, and it often is seen mimicking their crazy behaviours. So if you have them with jerks, it can often mimic their behaviour.
very fun fish to have, I will be getting more at later dates. Lol
I too had issues with greedy fish getting to the food before Prochi. But I have mostly solved the problem by adding a floating ring into which I put floating food. Prochi became the surface eater per excellence in the few minutes after I have just added the food, gulping a lot before it falls down. The others (even the greedy Hemiodus) eat below. After there is no more at the surface, Prochi morphs into the sand sieve mode at the bottom which he displays most of the time. It seems to work well for him.
In this manner, he grew from about total length 2.5" (dec.2017, insert in first image) to about 9" (at surface, April 19 2018), and slightly over 10" (swimming about, this past weekend).
Many times, he eats his treats from my very hand, and of course he gets a variety of foods, not just flakes, but it does take a bit of attention otherwise he may be left with less than choice morsels.
Beautiful fish. Good luck!
In this manner, he grew from about total length 2.5" (dec.2017, insert in first image) to about 9" (at surface, April 19 2018), and slightly over 10" (swimming about, this past weekend).
Many times, he eats his treats from my very hand, and of course he gets a variety of foods, not just flakes, but it does take a bit of attention otherwise he may be left with less than choice morsels.
Beautiful fish. Good luck!