Florida Flagfish

[cichlidgirl57]

Florida Flagfish
Saw these at lfs today. Employees could not provide information. They are very pretty with colors of red and sort of a blue-green depending on how you look at them. Any info with personal experiences would be appreciated. They had about 20 of them about 1".

[mogurnda]

They're tough little fish, and they are often sold for algae control. A bit scrappy, so they are a bad idea if you have anything with long fins.

[cichlidgirl57]

Thank you very much for the info mogurnda!
:)

[mogurnda]

Oh, and the latin name is Jordanella floridae, in case you want to do a little more hunting.
Cheers.

[Richer]

I've got a pair of flagfish in my 70 gallon plant tank. Got em cuz I thought they look pretty cool. According to the guy at the store where I got them from, they are extremely good at eating thread algae. I saw 1 flagfish in a small 10 gallon tank that was infested with thread algae at the store, and the little guy was going to town on it.

HTH
-Richer

[cichlidgirl57]

Well, I went back to the lfs and bought 4 of them. Currently have them in my 55 gallon. They seem to get along with my other fish. I'm not sure how large they grow, so I am a wee bit concerned. But they are very colorful and beautiful fish.
Again, thanks everyone for the info.

[corvettekid82]

I've got 2 of them in my tank now. Very fun fish =) I've heard that its best to keep them in a group of 3 or more, so Im currently trying to catch a few more from my local springs where I caught the first two. The ones in my tank aren't 'nippy' at all.
Edit: You just posted, so to answer the size question, they stay as small as the pic I just posted. The large one is an adult, the small the juvinile.
Flag Fish Facts (http://www.millevolte.com/nativefish02.html)
http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL188/1013353/1915636/22843396.jpg

[spikekillifish]

Can't talk about these guys without getting me involved. The American-Flag Fish from my experience are quite peaceful. However they do best if kept in small to large numbers without females (even though I keep large numbers of both sexes together with no signs of aggression). Other hobyists claim that the females can make the males become more aggressive to each other and their tankmates. Well planted tanks are a must IMO.

I have 8 males together in a small cubical for sale at my LFS. - 2 have been sold the other 6 are doing great after 2 weeks (no fin damage at all).

If you can get some in your area I would give them a try.

[cichlidgirl57]

Thanks so much, corvettekid82 & spikekillifish. I bought 4 of them, not sure is male or female. They look just like your pic. Good to hear they stay small, cause hubbie doesn't want me to get another tank..lol
The info has been so helpful. I know I will enjoy them.

[spikekillifish]

Females do not have the red flag color and pattern. My biggest male is a bit over 2 inches and well over a year old. Good luck with your new tankmates.:)

[spikekillifish]

How did this end up in the newbie forum? I know of plenty of people who have had all different kinds of fish for years and have never kept these fish. Even more don't know they are great for algae control including hair algae.