experience with tasseled filefish?

[LisaD]

I just received a tasseled filefish from liveaquaria. I know about the species, and have wanted one for a long time. It's in QT in a well established 29 with DSB and live rock, along with a Pseudoplesiops I got from Diver's Den, which is a very odd fish, kind of like a dottyback or basslet.

Could any of you with experience with tasseled filefish post? Especially VERY SMALL ones??? I was not expecting such a tiny fish. This guy is no longer than one inch, not counting the tail! It is eating well (mysis and picking at stuff in the tank).

Here are pics (not mine):

tasseled filefish, get ~12" as adults

 

[reeferaddiction]

amazing fish, although i dont have any experience with them its always been one that has arroused my curiosity so i will be tagging along.

 

[AquaKnight]

Lisa, here are a bunch of little Planehead filefish my brother is raising.




All are doing great, he feeds mysis, cyclopeeze, and pellets. They also nibble on the sea grass in there. There's also 2 southern puffers (Sphoeroides nephelus) and a spiny burrfish puffer. The largest puffer is the size of the last two segments on your pinky, and the files are dime & nickel sized

 

[seamonkey2]

Good luck, the little ones usually dont make it, but you say yours is eating that is great, try to target feed him, shrimp,meaty foods, and nori, they love nori.

my grew about 9" and lasted about 4 years, I raised him from a 1" little tassle, my baby past last month, very unique fish.

good luck

Jose

 

[LisaD]

Thanks for the input, guys. Those plane heads are really active! That's a neat looking, very active tank. I like the seagrass.

Jose, good to know you raised yours to adulthood. I hope mine makes it. My experiences with liveaquaria have been very good over the years, so hopefully I'll have a good chance of keeping him alive. the "grow-up" tank is well established, with plenty of live rock and sand, and he has plenty of room. No competitors for food either. The other fish stays in his cave on the bottom...

 

[billsreef]

Feed it lots and often, several times a day. The tiny ones (of most any species) are very difficult. It has to do mostly with high food demands that most aquarists don't meet.

 

[LisaD]

Thanks, Bill. I'm feeding as often as possible. I have this week off, so will be able to feed frequently. Hopefully 2-3 times a day will be okay when I'm back at work.

After a couple days, it's still eating really well. It's already eaten frozen shrimp, mysis, flake, enriched adult brine and picked at live rock today. I'm very pleased with the little guy.

Just added some CUC because I'm feeding so often.

 

[Pufferpunk]

One of the most favorite fish I've ever owned. Got mine at 1" for $20. He grew to around 3" & used to watch over my shoulder at everything I did in his room (my computer is in my fishroom). I had a problem with my filters & the tank was off overnight. The only 2 fish that died was my TF & my wartskin angler.

 

[hayes112]

I have been searching for information on this fish to. I ordered a large/XL one from marinedepotlive and they called today to say its shipping ( had to wait a couple weeks for them to get the fish in ) its suppose to be around the 5-6in. size......Its like christmas all over waiting for this guy.

 

[LisaD]

Good luck! I love mine. I'll be relieved once he gets some size on him. Still, the file is a strong eater and swimmer, and seems to be doing great so far *fingers crossed*

 

[FishyMel]

I have had 2. I had one that I started at dime size and grew up to about 2 inches but he got tanged and died. I had him about 1.5 years and I had a 8 inches for about 9 monthes this year until my niger trigger took it out over one night. That niger also took out my tang and my clown trigger. . So now Im restocking over the summer. These guys are pretty peaceful and should probably be in a tank with other peaceful predators such as boxfish and puffers. I'm thinking about getting another this summer and maybe going a whole new direction with my tank with the said tankmates. As for care of one inchers I recommend putting it in your refugium and letting him feast on pods until he is a big boy and can thrive on his own. I fed mine new life spectrum mini pellets and mysis until he got 2 inches. They are reasonably hardy bu don't be fooled by their vicious teeth they are very docile but also quite personable.

 

[LisaD]

thanks!

 

[rssjsb]

I've got a one-incher growing out in a 20 gallon. He seems to eat everything - NLS pellets, formula2 flake, mysis, tigger pods. I try to feed him at least a couple of times a day, and he seems to be putting on some weight. I was reading somewhere that these guys need some green in their diet, but he won't touch nori. So I've been trying to feed the formula2 flake every day - he seems to like it.

I'm embarassed to admit that I didn't plan this out very well. It was a bit of an impulse. I had looked at these guys before and remembered that they were docile and fairly hardy, but when I saw him at my LFS, I forgot about the part where they get a foot long. Oh well, this may be the excuse I need to set up FOWLR puffer tank at some point.

I'm moving him to a 40 gallon soon, and I'll have a 90 to put him in as he grows a little. A much bigger tank is possible down the road.

Lisa, do you know why these fish are classified as not reef safe? Is just that they eat inverts as they get older, or do they eat coral too?

 

[Monkeyfish]

Great fish. When feeding it meaty foods make sure the pieces are small. I and several other individuals I "spoke" to on this board had TFs that were doing fine until they swallowed a large chunk of krill or silverside. Over the next two days the fishes' belly became swollen and then the next day it died, presumably from a blockage or gas caused by rotting food in it's digestive system.

 

[LisaD]

Lisa, do you know why these fish are classified as not reef safe? Is just that they eat inverts as they get older, or do they eat coral too?

I'm not really sure, though I imagine they might "taste" fleshy LPS. I have one hairy mushroom and a few nice sponges in with my little one and he hasn't bothered them.

 

[billsreef]

I think it's more a matter of picking on snails and shrimp

 

[LisaD]

we need another word if we are going to use short-cut term(s). to me "reef safe" should mean coral reef safe. crustaceans and snail are not necessary to have a thriving reef tank.

what about invert-safe and reef-safe to describe fish? or coral-eater, fish eater (for a moray eel), invert eater (for some wrasses), etc. I know corals are inverts too, but we usually call them corals, and shrimp/snails/crabs/feather dusters, etc. are called inverts...

 

[dendro982]

Lisa, here is all about my tassle filefish, personal opinion, of course.
Best of the fish I ever knew. Sadly, it died from either bacterial or fungal disease during the summer heat in the age 1.5 years.

I fed mine 3x a day. You can feed in the morning, right after work and before the lights are off.
Mysis, Ocean plankton, a bit of brine shrimp for a taste, chopped seafood (variety, mine liked salmon and shrimp), small live ghost shrimp time from time... Formula Two flakes for desert, some algae, but this is very individual.

If you can, offer it caves, hang-ons and terrace for a sleep, away from everybody, it's very shy.

Try to keep water quality high, it is not so matter of nitrates or phosphates, as of red slime and other bacterial or fungal nasties.

It should have a very good appetite all the time. If, knock on the wood, you don't see it eating, do not assume that it has something to eat, ask for help and treat it somehow.

Mine stopped eating, nothing helped, then bacterial or fungal disease. Treatment gave no results.

Watch it, this fish is worth it.
Best of luck to you!