All fish / Achiridae

Hogchoker

Trinectes maculatus

Also known as hogchoker sole, freshwater sole, american sole, fresh water flounder, hog choker, freshwater flounder

A small, round-bodied right-eyed sole with no pectoral fins, brown with dark lines and blotches across its upper side. It spends most of its time buried in sand with only its eyes showing. People keep it because it is an unusual, peaceful flatfish that tolerates anything from fresh to fully salty water.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

18 to 26 °C

pH

7.2 to 8.2

Smallest tank

100 litres

Keep as

Can be kept singly or in small groups

Diet

Carnivore: bloodworms, blackworms, brine shrimp, small crustaceans and sinking meaty foods

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 7 years

Water

Brackish

Wild range

Western Atlantic coast and estuaries from Massachusetts, USA to Panama

Breeding

It spawns in summer in estuaries, scattering tiny buoyant eggs that drift in open water with no parental care. Captive breeding is very rarely achieved because of the larval stage and the salinity changes involved.

Good to know

Often sold as a freshwater fish, but it does best long term in brackish water and many refuse dry or flake food, so check it is feeding. Use a soft sand substrate and avoid tankmates fast enough to steal all its food.