Fish ID

LtPiper

Active member
Okay I have tried online to find info on these two guys but I can't find anything on them by the name they are sold under. The are called Boston Beans and they are in the box fish family but that's all I can find out. The are each the size of a dice and don't get any bigger than this or at least I've never seen them any bigger.

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Steve gets them in all the time over at Pet Persuasion.

BTW you asked him a while back to get a reef suplement and I wound up buying it and really liking it but forgot what it was called and he can't remember either. Comes in a 32oz bottle and is not Seachem or Kent.




Jeeze I just hijacked my own thread.
 
Looks like a ostacion cubicus. The picture is tough to make out check here and see if it matches.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/boxfishes.htm

If it is the ostacion cubicus they are EXTREMELY tough to keep. I would highly advise against them. They get very large and release a toxin(ostracitoxin) if stressed. I tried a couple of them about 10 yrs ago without success. When they died so did the rest of the fish in the tank.

Common name is yellow box fish. They are a very cool looking fish but not appropriate IMO for an aquarium. If you try one i would house it by itself in a 300+ gallon :D
 
These guys are more of a cream color and no visable tail.

OH and no spots on these guys.
 
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All of my searches on ostacion cubicus say they are yellow and have spots. They don't match up to these.
 
I think we will have to get a better picture then for a positive ID. The term 'boston bean' is simply used to reference any juvenile box/cow fish.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10965180#post10965180 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LtPiper
Steve gets them in all the time over at Pet Persuasion.

BTW you asked him a while back to get a reef suplement and I wound up buying it and really liking it but forgot what it was called and he can't remember either. Comes in a 32oz bottle and is not Seachem or Kent.




Jeeze I just hijacked my own thread.
[/QUOTE


It was probably coralife ana or something I will have to see if I still have the old empty bottle. I remember asking him if he had it and he said no but would see if he could get it.

I checked back a couple of times over the next couple of months but he did not have it.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10968895#post10968895 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mcox33
I checked back a couple of times over the next couple of months but he did not have it. [/B]

That's cause it was going in my tanks:D :D and I really liked it.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10968432#post10968432 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MattG
I think we will have to get a better picture then for a positive ID. The term 'boston bean' is simply used to reference any juvenile box/cow fish.

I'll just have to get a better shot then.
 
The pictures are still not much help.

You said that they have the fish in the store frequently. The most common boxfish/cowfish offered in the trade are:

the yellow box fish (ostracion cubicus - as previously mentioned)
longhorn cowfish (lactoria cornuta) - distinguishable by the long horns on the head
whitespotted boxfish (ostracion meleagris) Definetly not this guy as your picture appears yellow.

My guess is still the yellow box fish. Most likely if it is something other then the above listed it wouldn't be regularly offered. Also, the price would most likely be EXTREMELY high.
 
Also, you might want to post a picture in one of the main forums to get a little more input.
 
Wow I'm surprised to read they are jumpers. Guess I'm going to Lowes tomorrow for egg crate.

He doesn't have them all the time but he said they are readily available. It may very well be one of those but they are a totally different color from the pics I've seen.
 
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