My Brackish Blunder

[Fella]

So, I didn't think back to a thread Sabby posted some time ago, but mistakenly today, I bought 2 platycephalus sp.

The problem is now that these tiny fish (little over a couple of inches) apparently can get as big as a metre long (but fishing sites state they're usually half that in the wild).

I currently have a pair of these guys in 1.005, but eventually they'll go in my higher SG brackish tank once they get too big for my toadfish to eat.

Im not sure they're Platycephalus indicus though, they have a dark 1st dorsal fin and the tail is transparent.

 

[nmonks]

Nice. Any details on behaviour, diet, etc. you'd like to share? These are the first I've seen in the UK, and beyond what I've read, I don't know anything about them.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Fella]

They've been in fresh for over a month, and don't so any signs of illness, but I'll be raising the salinity regardless, they're now in at almost 1.005.

The mouths are huge. They add maybe a half inch onto these guys when fully extended. As you can see, they bury themselves (came as a shock, they couldn't do that at the store where they were kept in a tank with gravel) and they are ambush predators. I say ambush predators, but, they still fed in front of me in the store (else I wouldn't have bought them). The mouths though really are something else. Think of the mouth of a leaf fish, and these are a little bit longer than that in comparison to the body.

They don't school as such, but I would say the 2 I got are a pair of sorts. They don't stray too far away, and are quite interactive at feeding time together.

There are some hoplosternum cats in with them at the moment, and I thought they might not get on so well, but the hoplos just forage over the top of them, and the flatheads stay still.

The ones I have have a dark first dorsal and transparent caudal fin, so I'm not sure they're a giant species. From what i've checked on the net, short of the sport fishing species, many stay around 10cms (here's hoping!).

The LFS owner told me he gets his interesting brackish oddballs from india, and these came from an indian shipment as crocodile fish, which I think is an accurate description.

 

[CFC]

Cool!!! Ive been after some lizard fish ever since i saw one of the Asian guys on waterwolves had a freshwater species in with various other ultra rare expensive oddballs but same as nmonks i know bugger all about them apart from they grow fairly big and are predatory.

 

[Fella]

Cool!!! Ive been after some lizard fish ever since i saw one of the Asian guys on waterwolves had a freshwater species in with various other ultra rare expensive oddballs but same as nmonks i know bugger all about them apart from they grow fairly big and are predatory.

There's a freshwater species? Any info?

 

[Dave Legacy]

Cool!!! Ive been after some lizard fish ever since i saw one of the Asian guys on waterwolves had a freshwater species in with various other ultra rare expensive oddballs but same as nmonks i know bugger all about them apart from they grow fairly big and are predatory.

There was a local guy, who owned a LFS, that had some. I think you're talking about the same person. I live about 6mi from that shop, but unfortunetly he sold the store.

Fella, those guys are OG!

 

[Fella]

I hope OG means something positive

Sadly I have to say I've lost one of these guys already, just found him dead on the sand. his gills were a bit red and inflamed, and my girlfriend tells me that while I was at work he was behaving a bit strangely, swimming in the mid and topwater rather than hiding.

 

[Dave Legacy]

I hope OG means something positive

Haha, it does! "OG" is short for "Original Gangsta", which is just a little saying we use on my side of the pond.

 

[kanzaris]

Hi Fella

Did you get the fish from Syston? They had them when I bought my Antenna Fish.

Sabby

 

[Fella]

Hi Fella

Did you get the fish from Syston? They had them when I bought my Antenna Fish.

Sabby

Yes! Syston is my favourite shop right now, it's a pleasant train ride away, the staff are helpful (when you catch the right person...) and the tanks are always interesting to look at.

And what's this about an antenna fish? Post a picture!