Anyone keep a Lookdown Fish?

[ronhjr]

I have a 180 FOWLR, and have the opportunity on agetting a 6in Lookdown fish ( 2 of them )

Can these be kept w/ a MAc Angel, Yellow Tang, Naso Tang?

Also will they need to bought in pairs or can the be kept in singles?

Thanks

 

[badbrady06]

they're really cool fish i think they do better if you get than one. just don't keep with fin nippers. they are really aggresive feeders, if you have lazy feeders in the tank the lookdowns will eat it all before they get any.

 

[Pufferpunk]

I do not believe a 180 would be large enough for a school of them.

 

[philter4]

They do fine, single or in groups. I've never kept them with agressive fish as they tend to be docile, although they are very good eaters. The problem IMO is getting them, they don't ship well, and they tend to damage their sides which can be trouble. If they are local you are in great shape. Also, because of the shape, a 6 inch lookdown is like a 12 inch anyhting else, they have a really tall profile so open space is important.

 

[billsreef]

They will outgrow your 180, and surprisingly fast at that

 

[alprazo]

If you live in Philly, these can be caught in Aug off the Jersey shore - waist deep with a 10 foot seine at high tide. I've had them for years. They do become very aggressive eaters and need open swimming room. I had a group of 4 that started ~ 1/2 dollar size and grew to hand size over a three year period in a 125. They all went back into the Atlantic when I felt that they were too big. I haven't had one for years now - but a fun fish to watch.

They will lose there thread-like fins as they grow. I've probably kept 20+ over the years. They are very hardy once you get them to eat. Must start with live foods (guppies or ghost shrimp) but will quickly learn to take frozen silversides or squid.

This one was caught in Delaware - silver dollar size. They also have gold vertical stripes when young

 

[alprazo]

They were almost always kept in a local species tank - Ie pompano (talk about a fast growing fish), butterfish, etc. But once I did have some with a 6"Cortez angel and 5" clown trigger. No issues -

Be aware that a 6" lookdown will eat smaller fish and shrimp. I was feeding them 2-3" live silversides, and they would take three to four within an minute.

 

[sunfishh]

Alprazo can you start a thread detailing your collecting adventures?

 

[mattiej]

Not to start a flame war here, but releasing animals into the wild is unwise and illegal. Even if the fish came from local waters it should never be released back into the wild if it was kept for any length of time. This is especially true if they were kept with fish from other areas of the world. It is just not a good thing to do.

 

[alprazo]

Mattiej, I don't disagree and do understand your point about releasing them back. Something I had done in the past, as a teen - and know better today.