Freshwater flounder

[Andy Sager]

Alright so I got him and he's so tiny. He's about the size of my thumb nail and I was wondering is I should add him to my 55g brackish or if I should add him to my 25g freshwater until he's a little bigger. The 25 does have a really fine sand he should be able to burrow into. The sand is actually from the beach where I found a wild flounder burrowed. View attachment 284617


Keep calm and drum on

There's a 2 part answer to that question. Part 1: If the store you got it from had it in straight freshwater then I would put it in your FW tank for now but will need to convert it to brackish in time. Part 2: If the fish in your freshwater tank won't allow the flounder to eat, then you need to set up something for him to be able to do that. These fish are not scavengers. They are opportunistic feeders. So if no food gets down to them, they starve.

 

[Trainer_Ruby_]

I'm actually curious if he was in brackish as well. My lfs is very organized when it comes to fish with freshwater in one section brackish in another and salt and reef together. But this little guy was kind of in the middle of all that by himself almost like they didn't know where to keep him. So I think I'll put him in my 55 and acclimate him with one drop per two seconds over the corse of four hours or so. Sound like a good plan?


Keep calm and drum on

 

[gzeiger]

You're going to have to figure out what the species is to get a really optimal answer on that. Trinectes maculatus, the hogchoker sole, is commonly sold as "freshwater flounder" and will be fine for a year or more in straight fresh water, but there are other possibilities. Andy is quite correct about feeding. Frozen food is my recommendation. I've not seen them take flake of any kind. Admittedly I didn't try hard, so your mileage may vary.

 

[Andy Sager]

I'm actually curious if he was in brackish as well. My lfs is very organized when it comes to fish with freshwater in one section brackish in another and salt and reef together. But this little guy was kind of in the middle of all that by himself almost like they didn't know where to keep him. So I think I'll put him in my 55 and acclimate him with one drop per two seconds over the corse of four hours or so. Sound like a good plan?


Keep calm and drum on

I would suggest you call the store and ask them what they have the fish in and how log they have had them in it. It cuts out all the guessing.

 

[Trainer_Ruby_]

I checked with my hydrometer and the salinity of the water in the bag is ~1.006 specific gravity. And when I got him the cashier made a remark that they've had him for a couple of weeks. Judging from the last time I was looking around before I found him he's been there for ~2 weeks. The specific gravity for my tank is currently 1.010 so he wasn't living in anything too far off


Keep calm and drum on

 

[Andy Sager]

I checked with my hydrometer and the salinity of the water in the bag is ~1.006 specific gravity. And when I got him the cashier made a remark that they've had him for a couple of weeks. Judging from the last time I was looking around before I found him he's been there for ~2 weeks. The specific gravity for my tank is currently 1.010 so he wasn't living in anything too far off


Keep calm and drum on

Then you have your answer. I suggest however, next time you have a questionable fish, ask the store before you make the purchase. It makes things a WHOLE lot easier. They should know. If they don't, I would suggest buying from a store that does know what their stock is in.

 

[Trainer_Ruby_]

I know the lfs around here is typically good about the water the fish need. The only time I've seen them mess up was with dragon gobies. After someone informed them they where brackish fish they've been keeping them a lot longer and they look healthier


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[Trainer_Ruby_]

Quick question. How well can they burrow? He kinda jumped in when I was moving substrate and now I can't find him. I know the general area but I don't want to risk burring him more. There's 1.5in of sand max


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[gzeiger]

They don't bury deep, but they can change the color of their skin over a broad range like a chameleon (limited to browns and grays, but they can go the full range from white to cream to dark brown). Again, you may have a different species than I am talking about - you should ask that question too when you get a chance, or get a better picture so we can help.

They really just flap their fins to get a little sand over the top of the edges. The best way to find him is to let some good frozen food, like brine shrimp, settle on the bottom in the general area. He'll come get it. The other way is to look very closely for the eyes sticking up. Eventually you'll see him sucking on the to side of the glass, but no guarantee how long that might take.

Failing that, you can stick in just one finger and gently push it around to lift him up. No part of him is more than 1/8" deep at that size.

 

[Trainer_Ruby_]

That's just it tho I don't think he buried himself I think he got buried. I added some of my leftover five sand to one side of the tank and I was getting a mix of the two to gather and he darted right where I was mixing it. Would he be able to dig out? that's pretty much the layering throughout the middle where he went


Keep calm and drum on

 

[Trainer_Ruby_]

So I took an angel net and sifted through the area from top to bottom and didn't find him so I grabbed a frozen shrimp block and put a weight on it and dropped it in. Hopefully he comes out


Keep calm and drum on

 

[gzeiger]

It would be very difficult to drop sand through water at a high enough density to trap a fish, but if you had he was dead before you posted to ask about it. Their gills are on the top and bottom and can get held shut.

 

[Trainer_Ruby_]

That's kinda depressing to think about…but like I said I sifted through the area I thought he went and he didn't turn up so I'm guessing he's hiding out somewhere and will show up after everything settles down for awhile. I'll turn their lights off and let them get a couple extra hours of "sleep" and he should come out. Even the mollies are stirred up so theirs no chance he'll come out on his own for awhile


Keep calm and drum on

 

[Trainer_Ruby_]

Ok he turned up. Feel so much better now.


Keep calm and drum on

 

[gzeiger]

Next time you see him take a few minutes and really get familiar with what his eyes look like. Much of the time that's all you'll be able to find.

It is really cool to see when they stick on the glass though.

 

[Trainer_Ruby_]

Would he also eat feeder guppies? I can't get any blackworms until next week and my lfs has a ton of feeders. If so would he eat them live or would I have to kill it and let it sink to him?


Keep calm and rock on

 

[gzeiger]

I guess there's not much for scale in your pictures, but at the size it looks like he is I doubt he could get a feeder fish in his mouth. Frozen foods are much more cost-effective and healthier anyway. I wouldn't ever feed a fish I like a feeder straight from the pet store

 

[Trainer_Ruby_]

I talked to the store about what they've been feeding him and they recommended bloodworms so I netted the mollies and guppies and put in a couple of cubes and let them go in the dark go an hour. The mollies cleaned up a lot of them and he's still noming away at a worm


I like feeding feeder fish for two reasons 1: when I had glass fish it was interesting watching them dart around for awhile. I know it's not very humane but I like to see fish move about in different ways 2: the good guppies tend to live on for quite awhile. Originally my tank was Millie's and glass fish the guppies I have now where feeders that found a hiding spot and ones a nice yellow with an orange tail


Keep calm and rock on

 

[gzeiger]

I do use a lot of feeders and have no objection to feeding fish. I just wouldn't net them out of the pet store's feeder tank and put them in mine. Ich in every tank would be getting off lightly I think.

That picture with the bloodworm really puts his size in perspective. It will be a few months before he can swallow a guppy, and even then it would have to be already dead. They really are not equipped to be mid-water hunters. At this size I think you can just drop a cube of frozen food in there once a day and he will get enough bits, especially if you thaw it first so it sinks fast.

 

[Trainer_Ruby_]

Came home from work and turned on the tank light and he was out moving around a bit so he's getting acclimated to his new surroundings pretty well. His feeding schedule will probably be every other day and on weekend he'll get fed to match what the others get. Mollies tend to be pigs and eat as much as possible so I try to restrain them. If problems arise with food then I'll start feeding him every day and just target feed him


Keep calm and rock on