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I went to a LFS yesterday and saw a tank labled Flag Fish. I have never seen these before. Does anyone here keep them or know anything about them???

http://www.fishprofiles.com/site/aquarank.aspx

Jordanella floridae is the most like candidate, but there are other fish with "Flag" in the name, which is why it's always a good idea to learn the scientific name rather than the common name of a fish - or at least to write it down.

Google will bring up plenty of information on J. floridae but the basics are that it's a small, pretty killifish, often kept by planted-tank hobbyists because it will eat filamentous algaes. It can be territorial and a bit of a fin-nipper but given space and robust tankmates is easy to maintain.

-Molly
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Thanks- I asked them for the Scientific name, but they just gave me a blank stare

The only thing they knew was what was on the tank-- "Flag Fish"

They were about 3-4 cm- with spots and stripes, if I remember correctly

http://www.fishprofiles.com/site/aquarank.aspx

would this be american flag fish? i saw a couple at my lfs in the .88 cent tank. They look nice, here i think i have a thread about them with some info.

[link=http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Aquarium%20Oddities/61899.html]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Aquarium%20Oddities/61899.html" style="COLOR: #FFFF00[/link]

here ya go

They are probably American Flag Fish, sometimes mis-labelled as Florida Flag Fish. Yes they do eat algae, and breed easily too. Similar to a platy in appearance ?

The Amazon Nut...

Kinda looks like a platy but fuller bodied.

http://www.fishprofiles.com/site/aquarank.aspx

Then it's an American Flagfish, congrats

The Amazon Nut...

Any suggestions on a setup for them?

http://www.fishprofiles.com/site/aquarank.aspx

I haven't kept these fish yet.
A google search will provide LOTS of info.

The Amazon Nut...

The venerable Innes book makes mention of this fish. Details on care and maintenance are fairly scant, but the following should be useful.

[1] The fish is a Florida native. Its preferred temperature range is 18°C to 23°C, and tends not to like its aquaria too warm.

[2] The fish is a Killie (Family Cyprinodontidae), but is unique amongst Killies in that the dorsal fin possesses a single hard ray. This, and the general shape of the fish, led many aquarists to conclude, mistakenly, when the fish was first introduced into the hobby, that it was a Sunfish (several Sunfishes, including the Florida species Elassoma evergladei, were already known to aquarists). This led to numerous errors in maintenance. Unlike the Sunfishes, which are strictly carnivorous, Jordanella floridae needs vegetable matter in its diet, much as Mollies and livebearers related to the Molly do.

[3] Provided its companions are chosen with some care, the fish can coexist with others in a community setup. It would make an excellent choice for a Florida biotope tank with the aforementioned Elassoma evergaldei and similar modest sized Sunfish relatives with which it shares its native waters.

[4] The fish is highly prized by European aquarists, most notably in Germany, where US native fish species seem to enjoy a special devotion. Consequently it fetches prices on this side of the Atlantic that would be unheard of in a US dealer's!

[5] The fish naturally inhabits a range of waterways, usually slow flowing ones, with algal mats present that provide the fish with its food (the fish is best described as a primarily herbivorous aufwuchs grazer that will eat live foods, but needs the algal content in its diet). While some native waters inhabited by the fish can become brackish at times, salt is not necessary for long term maintenance, though some specimens may exhibit a preference for mildly brackish water if given the choice. However, the preferred water parameters are slightly alkaline (around pH 7.4) and moderately hard. The fish is hardy enough to adjust to softer and more acidic water, but only if the acclimatisation is conducted over an extended time period in the case of a wild caught fish. Aquarium bred specimens may be considerably more forgiving.

[6] If algae is not present in an aquarium, then it must be supplied. Otherwise, the fish will supplement its diet by nibbling aquarium plants. Specimens have been noted to have a particular liking for nipping pieces from the leaves of Cryptocoryne and Vallisneria plants, so exercise care if placing the fish in an aquarium containing these plants!

[7] The fish grows to 2 inches in length. Males are usually larger, and much more colourful than the females.

[8] The fish provides some degree of parental care for its young, again in a manner similar to the Sunfishes with which it shares its water. Brood care of the eggs, which are laid among plant roots, is provided by the male. Males during nursery duty can be fairly belligerent, but at other times are more sociable.

[9] If an aquarium has a problem with filamentous green algae, this fish may provide a solution, and devour the algae with gusto. However, experiments have shown that the fish can be fairly fussy as to which kind of algae it prefers. It will not eat brown algae (diatoms), and probably won't touch Black Brush Algae. However, your specimens may vary in this respect - watch them closely!

Finally, this is one of those fishes that falls well and truly into the category of 'under valued'. If you see it in a dealer aquarium, and have a spare aquarium looking for occupants, give the species a try. It could prove surprisingly rewarding, and provided care is taken to ensure that the species has a well rounded diet including live foods and vegetable matter (try shelled peas with this species!) it could also prove fairly easy to breed and fairly prolific.

Hope this helps!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002