sneakerpimp
New member
I'm looking into getting 2 or 3 of these fish.
Has anyone kept them before?
Has anyone kept them before?
Flashlight Fish
- Thread starter sneakerpimp
- Start date
i have 3 now. theyre super easy. they eat anything, dont get bullied and arent bullies themselves.
they shouldnt be put in a reeftank though, metal hallides blind them. this blindness can be permanate too.
the patches will seem white until they settle in. after about a month they will start to glow light blue.
they shouldnt be put in a reeftank though, metal hallides blind them. this blindness can be permanate too.
the patches will seem white until they settle in. after about a month they will start to glow light blue.
sneakerpimp
New member
Matt_Wandell
New member
You will not see them during the day. Joe Y keeps them in a reef tank and he says the moment the lights go out completely they come out. If you want to keep them in a reef, build them a cave out of PVC pipe or something that is deep enough to provide space and absolute darkness.
The fish above is an Anomalops sp. I wouldn't say they are "super easy". I wrote the following a while back to a friend:
The fish above is an Anomalops sp. I wouldn't say they are "super easy". I wrote the following a while back to a friend:
The 2 species we keep here are Photoblepharon and Anomalops, both monotypic so we just call them by the generic name. Anomalops is far and away the more common of the two in the trade but it is less hardy. Photoblepharon is worth the price difference if you can find them. IDing the two is fairly straightforward--Photoblepharon is deeper bodied, has one continuous dorsal fin, typically has a light grey body, and has a very prominent lateral line. Anomalops is more streamlined, with a split dorsal fin, the body is typically darker, and the lateral line is less noticeable.
Photoblepharon
Anomalops
Jay Hemdal reports about 25% losses in Anomalops before populations "settle down" to captivity, and we have had about the same luck. Our last shipment of Photoblepharon was 30 fish IIRC, all came in alive and I think we may have lost one since then. Our oldest Photoblepharon have been around 4 years or so. Photoblepharon is the much more desirable (and expensive) of the two as it almost always has its light turned "on", while the Anomalops are usually "off" with only brief flashes of "on". We had very low DOAs during shipping and Tx, something like 1-2%, but the Anomalops start to drop off after a few weeks due to anorexia. Some of them just refuse to eat anything. Praziquantel has been implicated in exacerbating this, so quick dips rather than a bath may be preferable. We have also used formalin and chloroquine phosphate to treat both species. Antibiotics are usually avoided because of the bioluminescent bacteria.
Both genera are eating machines and will seriously chow on mysis, krill, etc. They have incredibly high metabolisms and should be fed 2-3 times a day, so taking care of water quality should be a big concern. The tank itself should be dark, or at least have hiding spaces where they can be in absolute darkness. A dim cave will not really do it, and even passive room lighting is too bright for them. Given the choice they will all go the darkest space available regardless of hiding spots. A completely bare tank without any decor or substrate at all is perfectly suitable, as long as it is completely dark. It also makes cleaning the ample waste they will create easier to clean.
Okay, hope this helps. If you need any more info Jay Hemdal has been very helpful in assisting us.
Beaun
It's pronounced Bone
I've seen them in Joe's reef, you NEVER see them during the "day" but they come out at night and use all of the tank to swim in. After seeing that I question minimum tank size of 6', I would put it higher.
sneakerpimp
New member
Would a 72 x 24 x 29 tank be ok?
thats a common 125? if so then yeah thats fine.
Matt_Wandell
New member
Where did 6' come from?
I haven't been to Joe's reef at night but I do understand what you mean. We have several in a bare tank with no decoration approx 8' high by 8' wide that allows them quite a bit of room, and they do move fast.
Lmax8rn
New member
I have two in my 240 gallon, 8x2x2 and they use the whole tank at night. I have. A lot of live rock and very dark places for them to hang out in during the day. They are both eating like pigs. IMO this is the biggest challenge! I love to watch them swim around at night, they make it look like there are blue fireflies in the tank. I did buy 3 of them originally, but one never ate and died in a few days. Sparky and Big Guy are thriving so far, I have had them for a few weeks now.
Lmax8rn
New member
Yes, I feed them once or twice after all the lights are out. I try to wait until all the daytime fish are asleep so that they can get more food. They eat everything though!
Lmax8rn
New member
That's strange that one is out during the day. How long have you had them? One of mine was kind of out in the daytime for a couple of days but not in direct light but he found a good spot to hide and they are both in their dark spots until lights out.
Have you been trying to feed them at night? When I prepare the frozen food for my daytime fish, I save some for the flashlight fish and feed them after lights out when they are out and about. Mine eat like hogs, even devouring pellets! If I'm awake early in the morning I will feed hem a little then too.
One big problem I have had is that they both gradually lost the bioluminescent bacteria that grow in their glowing organs. After hours of research I found no remedy to this problem and wrote a few biologists who have studied bioluminescence. I finally got a reply yesterday with a good suggestion. The organs need a certain bacteria called bioluminescent vibrio that you can order online from science websites that you can put in the tank. He also said it won't hurt the rest of the tank. I am going to try this and see what happens.
Best of luck, I love my two!
Lmax8rn
New member
I have an update. I spoke to a marine biologist on the phone this morning who specifically studies this species and has done research on them for nearly two decades and she stated that the vibrio bacteria will NOT work with these fish as the bacteria that is present in their organs has never actually been identifiable. Weird. Anyway, her recommendation was that it is VITAL that they have a place to hide with COMPLETE darkness, that means not even any ambient light. We brainstormed and I decided to use 1 1/2 inch black pvc and use a few angles making kind of a curled around pipe that would be dark in the middle but allow water flow. I bought the materials today and will build them a new home tomorrow. She said that with complete darkness it takes a minimum of 6 months for them to regrow the bioluminescent bacteria that allows them to flash. Bummer it takes so long but I feel like I owe it to them. I will keep you posted.
