Boxfish care?

L

lonbrat

New member
I recently went to a new Lfs and discovered a fish I must have, it was love at first sight- we had a deep connection- he was only about the size of a dime, but size doesn't matter they say-
Ahem-
I didn't make an impulse buy, because I know better. But I've been planning on going back. It's a yellow Boxfish, and the spots were barely noticeable. I've read they get huge, and then I read they get only 4inches. Anyone here know what's the norm size? He's tiny so I was planning on keeping him in my 30 gal. Until he showed a sign of getting large.
Any info to talk me out of this guy or any pros and cons? Lol
I will gladly upgrade to a 100gal. + if I ever need to, but any ideas on how long I would have before then?

And any personal stories about your own Boxfish would be great ^^ this is the first fish I've ever seen and fell deeply in love with lol
// also, any good tankmates?

Danke~!
 
LA shows two different boxfish.

Cubicus Boxfish (Ostracion cubicus)

p-75345-Cubicus-Boxfish.jpg


QUICK STATS
Minimum Tank Size: 125 gallons
Care Level: Expert Only
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Reef Compatible: With Caution
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
Max. Size: 1' 6"
Color Form: Blue, Green, Tan, Yellow
Venomous: Poisonous When Stressed or Dies
Diet: Omnivore
Compatibility: View Chart
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Family: Ostraciidae

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+24+81&pcatid=81


and


Longhorn Cowfish (Lactoria cornuta)

p-75306-cowfish-longhorn.jpg


QUICK STATS
Minimum Tank Size: 250 gallons
Care Level: Difficult
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Compatible: With Caution
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
Max. Size: 1' 8"
Color Form: White, Yellow
Venomous: Poisonous When Stressed or Dies
Diet: Omnivore
Compatibility: View Chart
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Family: Ostraciidae

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+24+68&pcatid=68

Both get well over a foot in length. Good thing you didn't buy it. Well which one of these is it that they have? That Cubicus boxfish sure is a cutie.
 
There is a really good read out there somewhere about how box fish can nuke a tank. If I find the link I'll post it. It seems if I remember correctly they are better suited for a species tank but I am by no means an expert.
 
Dkuhlmann said:
LA shows two different boxfish.

Cubicus Boxfish (Ostracion cubicus)

p-75345-Cubicus-Boxfish.jpg


QUICK STATS
Minimum Tank Size: 125 gallons
Care Level: Expert Only
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Reef Compatible: With Caution
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
Max. Size: 1' 6"
Color Form: Blue, Green, Tan, Yellow
Venomous: Poisonous When Stressed or Dies
Diet: Omnivore
Compatibility: View Chart
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Family: Ostraciidae

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+24+81&pcatid=81


and


Longhorn Cowfish (Lactoria cornuta)

p-75306-cowfish-longhorn.jpg


QUICK STATS
Minimum Tank Size: 250 gallons
Care Level: Difficult
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Compatible: With Caution
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
Max. Size: 1' 8"
Color Form: White, Yellow
Venomous: Poisonous When Stressed or Dies
Diet: Omnivore
Compatibility: View Chart
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Family: Ostraciidae

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+24+68&pcatid=68

Both get well over a foot in length. Good thing you didn't buy it. Well which one of these is it that they have? That Cubicus boxfish sure is a cutie.
Click to expand...

It looked more like the first one, but the spots were way less noticeable. I'm pretty ready to do a spiecies only tank for that guy- and I've read about the whole toxic thing, how often does someone run into that issue ?
And it says expert only, is there a reason for this? Other than the nuking tank qualities? Lol
 
lonbrat said:
It looked more like the first one, but the spots were way less noticeable. I'm pretty ready to do a spiecies only tank for that guy- and I've read about the whole toxic thing, how often does someone run into that issue ?
And it says expert only, is there a reason for this? Other than the nuking tank qualities? Lol
Click to expand...

Did you read it gets a foot and a half long?
 
about 2 years ago i caught a baby spiny box fish here on the gulf that was smaller than a dime. i had him for a few months then one day he got sucked up into the powerhead and i guess released the toxin cause everything else in the tank died shortly after. he lived for another few days but then also died. i had good water quality back then with just a small amount of nitrates so not much else to blame all the deaths on other then the toxin.
 
I'll hold off this time- but next time I see one under 25$ I'll be ready-!

I did hear they didn't do good with strong flow, and I have an extra tank with a weak flow that I could use until it got bigger. And that only has a shrimp goby- blenny only likes the yellow kind I guess lol

But thanks a ton! ^^ I'll research these lil/ semi huge/ guys and be ready next time.
 
Personally have never seen a yellow cube boxfish get to be over a foot, if you stay to the yellow ones they can be easy to keep if you start with a healthy one in a qt . Make sure its ich free just stay away from the black spotted and the blue boxfish . Those 2 are the coolest but have never seen anybody with those fish , and I have never had success with them and believe they should be left alone in the ocean . Had success with a longhorn for 6 years with a yellow boxfish . The cowfish got huge it was about 15 inches horn to tail , the box was 6 inches had them for the same amount of time . Then I added a golden puffer that had something and killed all the fish except the cow and my gold belly dogface witch I still have . The cowfish kept getting infections with its eyes and eventually passed . The recommended tank size for a Cow should be 200g with lots of room to turn around they are the coolest fish personality wise but can be challenging and a big commitment to keep long term but worth it . As for the yellow box I would say are the best route if you want a boxfish it takes a couple years before the get big if you get them from the really small un resistible size .
Its a shame how many box's you see in all the fish stores and how few people actually have them in an aquarium fish
 
i know this is off topic but i mentioned earlier i had a spiny box puffer that died and nuked my tank, well i went fishing for squid and shrimp to feed my eel and anemones last night and i caught 7 spiny box puffers that were under the size of a quarter. some even smaller than a dime. i was so tempted i love all puffers and box fish but im afraid to get anymore.
 
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