Harlequin Filefish already eating frozen food?

[ceruleanseaslug]

I am currently working on setting up a biocube 29 and I was looking at stocking ideas. I started doing some research on the harlequin filefish because I thought I might be able to keep after I have a lot more experience, but I read that if you order one from the diver's den at liveaquaria they will already eat prepared/frozen food. Everything I've read says they are very challenging to keep because they are difficult to wean off of live coral. But if they are already weaned off, then would they still only be expert level? I think they are incredible fish and the possibility of successfully keeping one is too much to ignore. What do you guys think about ordering one of those?

 

[hawaiifavo]

I order harder to find/finicky/harder to keep fish from DD because they guarantee their fish to be healthy and eating. However with any fish there are no guarantees but DD gives you the best possible chance of success. I would advise QT'ing the fish first regardless of it being from DD or not so that you can get to know the fish and work with it so that you can work out its eating habits.

DD also provides info on what it feeds its specific fish:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=271

 

[Dmorty217]

Search harlequin filefish on here, there are a few success story's. SmallAlien has a female that he has kept for a extended amount of time. Most success stories have a much larger tank that they are kept in and are mature reef tanks. Getting one to eat is a huge step in the right direction. I would question if your tank size and lack of maturity would be a great choice for one. DD is far and away the best source for ones that are eating

 

[MondoBongo]

i've seen plenty of anecdotal reports of them being weaned on to frozen, but then seemingly out of the blue rejecting it after a long time of eating it.

this has made me hesitant to get them.

i am still planning on giving them a try at some point, however, this will be after my upgrade to my 150, and will be geared towards them. i've actually spend the last year or so amassing acros (many of the millepora variety as i've read that is their preferred) that i am prepared to offer up for a meal, should they reject frozen.

i wouldn't try one in a 29 gallon biocube. not much margin for error there, and my other reading has suggested that they are very picky about water quality and environment.

 

[ceruleanseaslug]

Yeah, I didn't think I'd be able to get one. Thanks anyway, though.

 

[tc2007]

Hypothetical question regarding the Harlequin Filefish a.k.a. Orange Spotted Filefish. Say if we have a large 200G or so tank stuffed with SPS corals which is the natural food source for this fish, can this fish be kept in such a tank so that it will thrive and there will be sufficient SPS growth to keep it running? I wonder how much SPS does it need on a daily basis.

 

[skiwez]

not sure that would even work unless the sps were all.the same. I remember reading an article that part of their defense mechanism is to actually smell.like the coral.they are eating in order evade detection. Not sure how quickly.they would hop.from coral to coral to make that happen.

 

[Ambition]

These fish are truly stunning and a fish I want to try again at some point. The only way I would get one, however, would be through a friend of mine or DD. I got a pair last summer from a friend and both fish at a wide variety of frozen foods and even small pellets. Unfortunately, the male did kill the female during QT after a few weeks and he subsequently stopped eating a couple weeks after that. This is a species of fish that I only recommend after having lots of experience in the hobby due to their finicky eating habits and sensitivity to water quality.

 

[Chad Vossen]

I kept this pair of filefish for nearly 3 years. The female passed away last summer, and I shipped the male to a friend in NY, and he's still doing fine.

I have a new pair now, one of which came from DD just yesterday. I've had the new female for 6 months now.

The trick is getting them onto pellets, then using an auto feeder to feed 4x per day. This is on top of the frozen food that you are feeding the other fish.



Breeding them comes pretty easily once they are eating like this.
I have not raised them yet, but plan to this fall after I move.

 

[MondoBongo]

Hey Chad, what techniques have you found helpful for weaning them on to pellet food?

 

[Dmorty217]

Chad you Need to get in contact with Karen