Longtom 25cm

Longtom
 

For native Australian fish enthusiasts or rare fish collectors, the Longtom would have to be a pinnacle species. These fish are incredibly rare to come by in the aquarium hobby, arguably rarer than species like Australian lungfish! Longtoms are essentially Australia’s own gar but they are actually a member of the needlefish family. These are fish that can live their whole life in a freshwater setting although they will also thrive in brackish systems and grow to over 40 cm in length. 

Longtoms are an incredibly odd fish but that just adds to their allure even more. They have a very slender, eel-like body with a long, pointed, narrow snout that is lined with razor-sharp needle-like teeth. These fish tend to have more tight-fitting skin instead of scales, it looks like they are wrapped in silver considering how shiny they are. The top of the body however tends to have a more olive-green colour compared to the rest of the body which carries that platinum or silver colouration. For a fish of this size, their fins are quite small. Longtoms can be slightly sensitive when settling into the home aquarium as these fish are wild-caught and not yet bred in captivity. Without enough space, they can spook and dash or jump which is especially problematic when they are surrounded by glass walls and a lid. Once they settle in, they may also take time to accept prepared foods so thought should be taken before getting incredibly hard to come by species like this.  

Breeding Longtoms have not yet been recorded in captivity even in an aquaculture setting. These fish are wild caught and this does not happen often. Longtoms however can be found both in a schooling and solitary situation as well, these fish most likely breed by scattering eggs into beds of aquatic vegetation and then exhibit no parental care. Longtoms are considered to be sports fish in Australia which is where they are most well-known. 

Tank Recommendations for your Longtom 

Since Longtoms reach around 40 - 60 cm it is best to keep them in a minimum aquarium volume of around 800 litres. These are active fish that are always moving and in smaller aquarium sizes they can get easily startled and start crashing into the glass. It’s actually better to keep these fish with minimal hardscape due to the higher risk of them being injured in the aquarium. If you did want a hardscape, it would be best to have a thin, sandy substrate along with large, smooth river stones and cave-like driftwood. An aquarium with a large footprint will also be ideal. 

Suitable Tank Buddies

Longtoms can surprisingly be opportunistic feeders that will attempt to eat anything they think will fit in their mouth. As long as these fish are kept with large tank mates, they are quite peaceful and won't attack other fish for territorial disputes in a large enough system. They do however have very sharp teeth that could cause damage to tank mates. 

Usually Compatible

Barramundi, Australian Lungfish, Freshwater Stingrays, jade perch, Oscar, Silver perch, and other larger, semi-aggressive fish. 

Sometimes Compatible

Archerfish, spangled perch, and other smaller to medium-growing fish species may become prey to the Longtom.

Rarely Compatible

Nano nano fish because it’s almost certain that the Longtom may attempt to eat a fish smaller than the size of its mouth. There are also some species that are too aggressive for these such as Murray cod or dovii cichlids. 

Feeding your Longtom

Getting Longtoms to feed on prepared aquarium foods like pellets may take some time. These fish are generally hunters that eat small surface-level baitfish and may require fresh foods like white bait, prawns, and other meaty foods. Their mouth is not exactly designed to eat a hard food like a pellet so it may be better to consider feeding them a softer carnivore-based food made by Vitalis Aquatic Nutrition or Dainichi. In certain situations, longtoms may only take live food and it is best to make sure any live fish are properly quarantined before feeding.