fresh flounders-good for my tank?

[guppler]

I know I can't get all the interesting fish at one time, but I can at least get ideas of what might work. I have often admired the cute little flounders that hide in the bottom of salt water tanks and thought some day if I get a salt water tank going I would get some. Then I noticed that there are fresh water flounders at a pet store I visited. Some of them were clinging to the walls instead of burried in the substrate. They looked little enough to live with my guppies, and I thought they might work out as tank mates, but I wasn't ready to buy them and didn't have much time to ask about them. I always thought flounders would prefer sand, but i have mostly pretty big pebbles in my comunity tank. I don't know if they would or could burry themselves in it, or if they would be unhappy if they couldn't.

Other than that I just have the usual compatability concerns. It's a 30 gallon tank with too many boy guppies to count and four danios. I would like to add ottos and cories and hatchets, and I don't know what else, but some will have to wait until I find new homes for some of the guppies.

Would it work to add sand with the gravel? If so, what kind? I'm guessing the "repti-sand" or "calci-sand" I used to use with hermit crabs would not be the right stuff.

 

[SirMinion]

So sorry to rain on your parade, but to my knowledge, 'freshwater' flounders are actually brackish.

There are a lot of fish sold as freshwater that either should be in brackish or should be moved to brackish as they mature.
Examples are: flounders, many gobies, figure eight & greenspot puffers, sailfin mollies, 'freshwater' morays and 'freshwater' stonefish.

Some fish can be slowly acclimatised to full fresh water or very mild brackish, but I think the flounders are esturine fish and need that salt.

If you chose to go brackish, your guppies wouldn't mind having a mildly salty tank, but I'm not so sure about the danios, and of course, it would rule out most catfish including cories & plecs completely.

 

[The-Wolf]

Just to clarify
No danios won't tollerate brackish or a mildly salty tank.
Danios can have aquarium salts in the water but not the
kind of salt used for brackish set ups.
Apart from that I aggree with SirMinion.

 

[CFC]

There is one group of "flounders" that can be kept in freshwater and that is members of the Achirus group, the most frequently seen of these is Achirus achirus or the Peruvian sole as it is commonly known. Unfortunately they are rarely imported and the species which we usually see for sale or those from the Brachirus family which are brackish/marine dwelling fishes and cannot be kept in freshwater. These will also grow to a minimum of 6 inches and will eat small fish such as guppies.

 

[guppler]

I was afraid of that.
I've also considered keeping a little salt in the water, but if so many other fish don't like salt then at least I can keep pouring the dirty water in my garden.
Maybe eventually i'll have to do brackish. Can I put gobies and puffers and flounders together?

 

[LadyMinion]

I was afraid of that.
I've also considered keeping a little salt in the water, but if so many other fish don't like salt then at least I can keep pouring the dirty water in my garden.
Maybe eventually i'll have to do brackish. Can I put gobies and puffers and flounders together?

The gobies and flounders should be OK, but I wouldn't recommend the puffer. I've seen a puffer kept in the same tank as several knight gobies and the poor thing's fins were completely shredded.

As for the flounder, despite not moving around much the puffer would undoubtably have a good peck at it. In fact, one the puffer realises how nice and fleshy the flounder is.... well, you know.

I have heard somewhere that brackish puffers can sometimes be kept with scats - but you will have to ask someone more knowledgeable about that.

 

[astroboy]

http/www.tomgriffin.com/aquasource/flounder.shtml

check this out

 

[guppler]

Thanks for the info.
It looks like I'll be admiring these guys somewhere other than my house for a while. Reckon they'd eat bumble bee gobies? ( for possible future brackish tank)

 

[Eelzor]

Guppler,

Just for reference, I have been considering buying a flounder for quite some time now but have never got around doing it. They have these flounders called "Brazilian Soles" in my local pet store and are only about 1 inch in length.

Reckon they'd eat bumble bee gobies?

On this question, I wouldn't know. As I've never owned one. But I'll just let you know how my progress goes through this post.

 

[guppler]

If those Brazilian soles stay about 1", they could be tempting. I may have to find out more about the specific species at my local pet store.

 

[Eelzor]

If those Brazilian soles stay about 1", they could be tempting. I may have to find out more about the specific species at my local pet store.

They don't grow 1" maximum. At least not these. The net said they are 4 inches maximum, but the LFS said 8 inch maximum. I'm not sure on the size really, but I'll research on them. Even if they do get too big, you can still own one for a while in a smaller tank as flounders are slow growing.

Edit: I'll keep you updated.

 

[lukenat]

ther is one species of freshwater flounder but these fish are completly uncommunity at night they will devour smaller fish sorry to have to tell you

 

[jsescher25]

Reckon they'd eat bumble bee gobies? ( for possible future brackish tank)

Bumbble bee gobies can live with some puffers as mine live with my F8 puffer and spotted but all puffers are diffrent and mine have all been togeather since thay have all been very small.

 

[jacblades]

i currently have 2 of these guys in a brackish set up. i have had some with guppies (mildly brackish) and some with bumblebee gobies.
they now have their own tank.

the ones you see in pet stores are usually the american ones. they can be found anywhere near the coast from massachusetts down to texas.

as many bracksh fish do, they start out in fresh water and make their way towards the ocean throughout their lifetime. (therefore you have to increase the amount of salt as they grow)

there is a lot of incorrect and just plain bad info on the net about them so dont put all of your trust in websites with info on them.

i have been researching them for a while. they fascinate me

they are carnivorous and eat tiny crustaceans and worms they find in the sand/mud.
i feed mine tetra nature's delica bloodworms (the gel that comes in packets.) i have finally had success with feeding sinking pellets but it took a while for them to actually try them.

you must have sand as a substrate so they can burrow into it. i have heard of people using superfine gravel but i personally wouldnt try it.
hth

 

[lukenat]

there is one frshwater species and they are highly preadatory called achirus errans