freshwater flounder

[mahemaheman85]

so im getting a flounder from a guy i know whos emptying his tank at the lfs. Im gonna put him in my community tank which is soon to be bigger, and im also gonna switch that tank to white sand substrate so he can hide, anything i should know about this fish or specific requirements would be great, thanks in advance. oh and he told me its about 3 inches long

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

I don't know much about them but my lfs allways has them but they are around 1'' long. So when you get this 3''er post some pics. the guy at the lfs said they can get 6'' max but who knows. They are definetly different and pretty neat as well.

 

[ryverrat]

i have 3 flounders- 2 over half dollar size and one that is close. they need to be fed meaty foods- bloodworms, squid, mussel, etc. i keep mine in a brackish tank (1.010 SG) and they are thriving. i hear they can be kept in freshwater but are not as healthy. most of them for sale in the US come from the southern Atlantic coast area. they are found as fry and small juveniles in fresh but migrate toward saltwater as they mature. also known as hogchokers or puppy tongues. and yes sand is the way to go for substrate.

 

[Moontanman]

I've grown them from fry so small the eyes were still on opposite sides of the head to 10" specimens only to have them die from lack of salt. In the wild the adults live in salt water and the young live in freshwater. I fed mine live black worms, daphnia, and even small earth worms when they got big enough. their mouths are very small so they need appropriate sized foods. If I can help feel free to ask anything.

 

[Fish Room Plus]

The best flounders come from Peru. Full fresh and grow to 12-14 nches

 

[Moontanman]

The best flounders come from Peru. Full fresh and grow to 12-14 nches

I would have to agree that would be better in many respects. I've looked but never seen this species of flounder. Do you know the species name? How do they compare with hog chokers in appearance and habits? Hog chokers can be kept much longer if not indefinitely by adding a small amount of sea salts and some calcium chloride and most if not all freshwater fish will do well under those conditions too. I also like the tongue soles that are sometimes available.

 

[mahemaheman85]

Im switching all my tanks around so hes in a breeding cage right now but heres a pic, and id say hes 3 3 and a half inches long

 

[Moontanman]

Im switching all my tanks around so hes in a breeding cage right now but heres a pic, and id say hes 3 3 and a half inches long

Yup, it's a hog choker

 

[mahemaheman85]

ya he pretty cool, so do i need to switch him to brackish when he gets older? and whats good to feed it?

 

[Moontanman]

ya he pretty cool, so do i need to switch him to brackish when he gets older? and whats good to feed it?

When they were small like that one mine did great on live black worms and live daphnia. Try teaspoon of sea salts per gallon, that will prolong their lives considerably. Freshwater fish will do well at that level of salt as well.