Hogchoker facts for kids
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The hogchoker (Trinectes maculatus) is a small, flat fish. It lives along the Atlantic coast of North America. You can find it from Massachusetts and Florida all the way to Panama. These fish love brackish water, which is a mix of fresh and salt water. They are very common in many bays and estuaries north of the Carolinas.
The hogchoker is part of the American sole family, called Achiridae. They are usually brown or dark brown. Their "blind side" (the side without an eye) is lighter. Their body often has spots and thin stripes. These can be lighter or darker than their main color. Their fins and tail have fringed edges. This helps them hide from the tiny insects and invertebrates they like to eat.
People sometimes call them "trash fish." This is because fishermen used to feed them to pigs. But the fish have many bones, which made them hard for pigs to swallow. That's how they got their name, "hogchoker"!
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Hogchokers as Aquarium Pets
Hogchokers are sometimes sold in pet stores. They are often called "freshwater flounder" or "freshwater fluke." But this is not quite right. While some flatfish live only in fresh water, the hogchoker usually lives in coastal areas. These are places where rivers meet the sea.
Some fish keepers have kept hogchokers in fresh water their whole lives. But we don't know if they can truly be healthy without some salt. Large adult hogchokers have been found far up big rivers. These include the Mississippi, Hudson, and East Rivers. They can live there if the river bottom has soft sand. This sand must also have enough small creatures for them to eat.
Life in the Tank
In an aquarium, hogchokers often stick to rocks, wood, or the glass. They use their bellies like suction cups. This is similar to how hillstream loaches move.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Hogchokers can lay eggs in different levels of saltiness. But they prefer water that is moderately salty. This is usually about 10 to 16 parts per thousand. They also like a temperature of about 25°C (77°F). After the eggs hatch, the tiny larvae swim upstream into fresh water. In the spring, they swim back downstream to lay their own eggs.
Feeding Your Hogchoker
Hogchokers can be tricky to feed. They prefer live food. This includes tiny brine shrimp, Daphnia, mosquito larvae, and Tubifex worms. In the wild, they find food by sifting through sand and mud. They look for tiny organisms. These can be white sandworms in salty water or insect larvae in fresh water. If a hogchoker is not healthy, the spots on its belly might change color or move.
- Munroe, T.A., 2002. Achiridae. American soles. p. 1925-1933. In K.E. Carpenter (ed.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae), sea turtles and marine mammals
