OK, admittedly not all of us are in the market for a school of big silver fish with gracefully sweeping dorsal and anal fins but for those that are (especially if you own a public aquarium), Proaquatix announced the return of captive bred Florida Pompano, Trachinotus carolinus, to their growing list of offerings today. Pompano are a big deal down in Florida too, being excellent gamefish (I’m more likely to run into this species on the end of my fly rod than in my home aquarium).
Pompano are another “big ocean” fish, mostly silver, but with a graceful shape and some yellow in the fins at maturity. Speaking of maturity, Pompano can easily get to be over 15 in. in length. As Eric Wanger of Proaquatix tells us, they “add a lot of drama to a tank.” They are very active swimmers (they never stop moving, even at night), so in the long term, a big tank is a must — by big I’m thinking a minimum 200 gallons, but several hundred or larger being better. They are probably a perfect companion fish for anyone keeping a school of captive-bred Lookdowns (Selene volmer), also a fish Proaquatix provides now and again. Shark pond? Maybe these are a good addition! Dinner table? Maybe after a few years?
You can learn more about the needs of your captive-bred Florida Pompano on the Proaquatix website, or read a very extensive article on pet Pompano which ran in TFH some years back. While Proaquatix really produces these fish for other hatcheries and public aquariums, wholesalers of marine ornamentals latch onto them too. Captive Bred Pompano are shipping now at 1.25-1.5 in. long, but in two weeks, those will be hitting 2 inches and should be retailing well under $35 or so.
Coming next week…Cobia!
