Tonguefish - Info please

[Moe]

I said I would never buy a fish without researching it first BUT, they had the coolest fish at LFS today. They were just listed as tonguefish. So far I've found out that they are from the family cynoglossidae and look like a tiny flounder. I've read that some of largest fish in the family can get to 30cm. They are totally flat and have both eyes are close together on top of body. They had five of these at LFS and they were all stuck to the glass. I couldn't resist and bought one. It is about 2 inches in length. I was planning on putting it in a 10G with some guppies. LFS did not know anything about this fish does anyone have one of these??? I'm not even sure what to feed it. I have 14 days to bring it back if I can't figure out what to do with it but, I really like it. Any advice?

 

[CFC]

Sorry ive never heard of these fish and a google search throws up nothing. IME flat fishes are usually brackish species but without a scientific name i couldnt tell you for certain

 

[Thomas A. Anderson]

Is this it:

http/habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/news/chekjaw...ia/text/349.htm

 

[Thomas A. Anderson]

http/www.sea-ex.com/fishphotos/sole,.htm

 

[LCnVa]

Sole are the Achiridae (Sole) family of Flat fish, the Toungefish is in the Cynoglossidae family & the other is the Bothidae (left eye) family. According to this---> Flatfish I could only find 2 sites about this family & it seems they are marine or possibly even brackish, I couldn't really figure it out . This one----> Species Is a species summary. I'm not even sure if it's the correct fish. But have a look & see if it helps any. EDIT:I found this as soon as I hit add reply . "Adults not bilaterally symmetrical, with one eye migrating to the other side of the cranium; dorsal and anal fins with long bases, dorsal fin base overlapping at least the neurocranium except in Psettodes; body highly compressed, somewhat rounded on eyed side and flat on blind side; eyes can protrude above body surface allowing fish to see when buried in the substrate; usually six or seven branchiostegal rays, rarely eight; body cavity small; adults almost always without swim bladder; scales cycloid, ctenoid, or tuberculate. About four species probably occur in freshwater, while another 20 species that are normally marine occasionally enter freshwater."

 

[Moe]

Thanks for looking guys. It does look like the one in the picture but mine is spotted. All of the info in the sites say that this fish lives in sand, I have gravel and so does LFS. That could explain why it is sticking to the walls. It does not like the gravel bottom. From what I've read it is probably brackish and most likely a cold water fish. I've had no luck feeding it either. The above links say that it eats benthic invertebrates, I don't even know what those are. I got him at the local Petsmart which is a huge chain. I didn't think they would carry a fish that would have such special needs. OK sadly I'm going to take the little guy back. Thanks for all of your help.

 

[Alien Anna]

Thanks for looking guys. It does look like the one in the picture but mine is spotted. All of the info in the sites say that this fish lives in sand, I have gravel and so does LFS. That could explain why it is sticking to the walls. It does not like the gravel bottom. From what I've read it is probably brackish and most likely a cold water fish. I've had no luck feeding it either. The above links say that it eats benthic invertebrates, I don't even know what those are. I got him at the local Petsmart which is a huge chain. I didn't think they would carry a fish that would have such special needs. OK sadly I'm going to take the little guy back. Thanks for all of your help.

Benthic is a scientific term meaning "deep water". It probably refers to some kind of krill. Try brine shrimps.

 

[flyhockey1037]

benthic actually means ocean floor to be exact, so benthic invertebrates would be snails, crabs, starfish, etc.

 

[Moe]

Well, thanks for all of your help. I brought the tonguefish back to LFS. I can't imagine that many people have a tank that would suit him. He was really an oddball. I decided to play it really safe and got a pair of mollies.

 

[adgarret]

I work at Petsmart in KY and the tonguefish is on our opportunity order list (fish we can only get for a limited time). I have an info sheet for it at work but we chose not to order any as we have no tanks with sand as a substrate (which as I recall is a necessity of these). I will post the info we have tomorrow after I get home (I'm suprised your store did not have this information available).

 

[Alien Anna]

benthic actually means ocean floor to be exact, so benthic invertebrates would be snails, crabs, starfish, etc.

Just out of interest, can we check that? The reason is at university I wrote and essay on the subject "Benthic communities of the Gallapagos Island Rift", and since no one's ever been to the floor of the Gallapagos Islend Rift, it would seem that benthic cannot mean "sea bed".

The subject was thermo-bacteria that live in the volcanic vents and breathe sulphar. Fascinating creatures. They've found ever weirder things since then, including bizarre fish and invertebrates.

 

[LCnVa]

Definition: Main Entry: ben·thic
Pronunciation: 'ben(t)-thik
Function: adjective
Etymology: benthos
Date: 1902
1 : of, relating to, or occurring at the bottom of a body of water
2 : of, relating to, or occurring in the depths of the ocean
this is from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary

 

[TearsTurnToAshes]

if you ever decide to get a sole again, all you have to do is make sure they havbe a sandy substrate to live in. i have had sucess with feeding mine live brine shrimp and bloodworms since they both tend to try and burrow in the sand. ive laso heard of feeding them very small ghost shrimp when they get bigger. and possibly vinegar eels? but i havnt confirmend that.