Flagfish Tank Mates?

[Cognac82]

For those of you who have kept flagfish, what do you keep them with? I had two, the last two the store had at the time. They did not make it out of quarantine. I want to get more, as they have now restocked, but I don't know what will be suitable to keep with them. I had three golden topminnows, but two of them only lasted a few months before succumbing to some strange illness where they were corkscrewing around the tank before they died. They were dead within 24 hours after symptoms showed up. The tank needing to be stocked in question is a 20 gallon high, so it can't hold much, but I would like to have something in it. It's currently housing the one remaining topminnow and my two goldfish fry. If it can just be flagfish together I'm okay with that, too. I've heard they can be somewhere between just showy and downright aggressive. Just interested in everyone else's experience.

 

[Cognac82]

Really? Nobody has an answer? I'll take anything, such as: I love flag fish. I hate flag fish. Flag fish are delicious when poached in coconut milk. Flag fish make great bass bait. Whatever. I know someone must be buying them, because the tank in the store gets restocked.
SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME SOMETHING

 

[kallililly1973]

Never had them but from a quick google search it appears they may be best in a species only tank and probably not a great idea in a planted tank. although it appears from my quick search they are great algae eaters they will also eat your plants. and lastly it appears they are notorious fin nippers. So I would do some research before adding them to a tank. Good luck!

 

[jjohnwm]

I found a trio of these early this year and eventually installed them into a 120-gallon tank that they share with a group of Ameca splendens and some Skiffia francesae livebearers, several Corydoras paleatus and a single Bristlenose Pleco. There are also hundreds of Red Cherry Shrimp in there. The tank is heavily planted with swordplants, Java Moss, some Anubias and lots of Hornwort and Duckweed.

The Flagfish haven't shown any aggression towards their tankmates, and yet are able to hold their own against the Amecas which are boisterous, active bullies. I quarantined the Flags for almost two months before introducing them to the existing community in the tank, and they were largely invisible for the first few weeks, usually emerging from the greenery only at feeding times. They eventually became more confident and are now almost always on display. In small crowded tanks they are more likely to develop bad attitudes; with plenty of room and plenty of plants they are sweethearts, especially if kept at a ratio of 3 or 4 females per male.

They are growing well, and the male in particular is a beautiful specimen fish. They haven't spawned yet, but the tank has a good number of Ameca and Skiffia newborns that are ignored by the Flagfish. When I kept Flagfish in the past they were in species tanks, and baby fish would just appear from time to time spontaneously, with no particular effort on my part. They don't regularly eat their young, and are not particularly predaceous on any small fish, but of course nothing is absolute.

Flagfish are one of the few species (along with Amecas!) known to enjoy eating Hair Algae. Their tank has a 12-hour photoperiod to encourage the growth of this stuff, and yet between the Flags and the Amecas the algae can barely get a foothold. I haven't seen any indication that they are bothering the plants, but I recall from past experience with them that they insist on some vegetation in their diets and will nibble plants if no algae is available to them.

I had plans to put them outside for the summer but had a few glitches with a liner leak in the small pool I had planned for them. Hopefully next year. They are an attractive and unique fish that deserves more attention than they get from most aquarists.