American Flag Fish

[Biglog]

Has anyone had American flagfish (Cyprindon floridae) in a community tank? After reading about them it seems they are peaceful fish but could be fin nippers? If that’s true I don’t know if they would be a good idea with my angelfish.

 

[Circus]

I would not put them with angelfish, personally. A single female might be okay, but any number of them and they will nip. My single female does well in my 55 community, but my male (when I had him) would nip all of the other fish.

 

[Sgooosh]

when i read this i thought it was a fish that looked like the american flag

sorry i have no clue what they are


WAIT NEVERMIND THEY DO LOOK LIKE THE AMERICAN FLAG!?!?

 

[Circus]

when i read this i thought it was a fish that looked like the american flag

sorry i have no clue what they are


WAIT NEVERMIND THEY DO LOOK LIKE THE AMERICAN FLAG!?!?

The males do look like the US flag. The females are kinda an olive grey with leopard like spots. Mine love to eat hair algae. They are killifish, pup fish specifically.

 

[Sgooosh]

The males do look like the US flag. The females are kinda an olive grey with leopard like spots. Mine love to eat hair algae. They are killifish, pup fish specifically.

wow, both the small fresh version and the big salty version look like the Flag!
do you think they could be with guppies or will they mess up the genes

 

[Circus]

wow, both the small fresh version and the big salty version look like the Flag!
do you think they could be with guppies or will they mess up the genes

They would relentlessly nip guppies. Anything with flowing tails. They would go after my white cloud mountain minnows and pepper cores when I had them and a trio (1M 2 F) in a 29 gallon subtropical.

 

[Biglog]

I would not put them with angelfish, personally. A single female might be okay, but any number of them and they will nip. My single female does well in my 55 community, but my male (when I had him) would nip all of the other fish.

Yeah everything I have been reading has been mixed so maybe it was the difference in people have males or females?

 

[Circus]

Yeah everything I have been reading has been mixed so maybe it was the difference in people have males or females?

I think so? With my female solo, she is calm (but has less personality). As a group they are boisterous but nippy. You could always try a singleton or a pair/trio of females and see how it goes. The males like to establish a territory and nip all who enter.

 

[Biglog]

I think so? With my female solo, she is calm (but has less personality). As a group they are boisterous but nippy. You could always try a singleton or a pair/trio of females and see how it goes. The males like to establish a territory and nip all who enter.

The females just don’t have the color that males do. My tank will be pretty heavily planted once everything grows in so maybe just 2 would keep each other occupied with plenty of places to mark as their own?

 

[Circus]

The females just don’t have the color that males do. My tank will be pretty heavily planted once everything grows in so maybe just 2 would keep each other occupied with plenty of places to mark as their own?

It is possible. Not many keep them, so it is hard to get solid answers. You could always try, just make sure you have a back up plan or that the store would take them back if there are problems.

 

[Essjay]

do you think they could be with guppies or will they mess up the genes

Do you mean mess up the fins or mess up the genes?
If you do mean genes, guppies cannot breed with anything except guppies endlers and occasionally mollies.

 

[Sgooosh]

Do you mean mess up the fins or mess up the genes?
If you do mean genes, guppies cannot breed with anything except guppies endlers and occasionally mollies.

what? i thought they were poecelia?
that's good. will they mess up the fins then?

 

[Essjay]

These flag fish are Jordanella floridae (also known as Cyprinodon floridae); not only are they in a different genus from guppies, they are in a different Family which makes them even more distant (guppies are in Family Poeciliidae while J. floridae is in Family Cyprinodontidae)

But they are nippy fish which should never be kept with fish with long fins like guppies.

 

[Sgooosh]

These flag fish are Jordanella floridae (also known as Cyprinodon floridae); not only are they in a different genus from guppies, they are in a different Family which makes them even more distant (guppies are in Family Poeciliidae while J. floridae is in Family Cyprinodontidae)

But they are nippy fish which should never be kept with fish with long fins like guppies.

ah...
most of my guppies are short fin and zippy though (yeah the full growns are long fin)

 

[Utar]

Is this the fish you are calling the American Flag Fish? Link to image.