Freshwater Flounders

[matchstickgeezer]

Hi all

I just got back from my LFS with 2 freshwater flounders... they are about 1.5" in size, and as flat as a pancake

Its really hard to see them agaisnt the gravel, but they are lovely flat fish..

Does anyone know a total size they grow in general, im not sure of the exact species... also does anyone have any more details.

The lady in the store said that they hadnt had any in for over 5 years, so was really unexpected find!

 

[AMS]

I hate to tell you, but you probably don't have a freshwater fish. Most of the "freshwater" flounders are a brackish fish that should be moved to full saltwater conditions as they mature. Neale Monks has a good article on them.

Good Luck.

 

[matchstickgeezer]

I hate to tell you, but you probably don't have a freshwater fish. Most of the "freshwater" flounders are a brackish fish that should be moved to full saltwater conditions as they mature. Neale Monks has a good article on them.

Good Luck.

Hi... Im hoping they are one of the trully freshwater ones, as suggested by the name


Will it harm them to be kep in freshwater?? I add a small amount of salt anyway for my mollies.

 

[nmonks]

Sadly, adding "freshwater" in front of the name of some oddball fish (like "goby" or "puffer" or "flounder") is normally a way to help the local fish shop sell brackish water fish. There are some truly freshwater species, but they are not the ones usually sold. In America, for example, the most common species is Trinectes maculatus, a species that lives in estuaries mostly, and while it does go into freshwater from time to time, over the long term it needs brackish or even salt water conditions.

Anyway, a flounder and molly tank would make a great combination. The two species would get along perfectly. Add about 5-8 grammes of marine salt mix per litre of water (that'll get you a specific gravity of around 1.003 to 1.005). The mollies will love you forever, and that's a nice baseline salinity to keep most "freshwater" soles and flounders happy and healthy. Besides these two species, there's actually a whole bunch of other fish that would work well in this set-up: gobies, guppies, Florida flagfish, glassfish, and wrestling halfbeaks, to name a few. Basically, anything small, peaceful, and not nocturnal (because your flounder/sole will mostly eat at night).

Cheers,

Neale

Hi... Im hoping they are one of the trully freshwater ones, as suggested by the name. Will it harm them to be kep in freshwater?? I add a small amount of salt anyway for my mollies.