ID: Heniochus acuminatus or diphreutes??

[Guillaume]

I was looking at introducing two Henoichus diphreutes and found two yesterday but the LFS wasn't sure what exact species it was.

According to this thread, and specially the anal fin differenciation, this could be the diphreutes:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1626751

These are the pics of the fishes I got. They are juveniles, about 2.5 inches long. What you all think?

 

[falconut]

It looks like they could be the diphreutes. There were other ways to tell, but I can't remember them. It was years ago when I was looking at adding this species. Good Luck with them, they are beautiful.

 

[Guillaume]

Thanks Falconut.
They other way seams to be nose lenght shorter and rounder belly on diphreutes but hard to tel on junies.

 

[Guillaume]

Anyone else?

 

[dougc]

Belly doesn't look rounded enough to me.

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[SDguy]

Belly doesn't look rounded enough to me.

That's why bellies, and snouts and such aren't good markers for juvi's At least for me... my eyes are good, but not that good.

100% sure it's diphreutes. Get him to flare his fins, then take a pic. Or, rotate the in-bag pic. You can see, when the fins are flared, how short and small/angular the anal fin is.

 

[dougc]

Mine were pretty small when I got them and their shape was very distinct. If there is more than one, their behavior will be a dead giveaway. They will stick together, thus the "schooling" moniker. If they each do their own thing, they are likely not diphreutes.

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[SDguy]

Mine were pretty small when I got them and their shape was very distinct. If there is more than one, their behavior will be a dead giveaway. They will stick together, thus the "schooling" moniker. If they each do their own thing, they are likely not diphreutes.

Oh, yeah, comparing them side by side is a cake walk.

 

[Guillaume]

Thanks for comments guys. The fin to me was almost 100% clear the diphreutes' one. I wasn't sure about the snout and belly, but has you said, this is not good for juveniles. Even knowing this, I wasn't sure because the snout shape put me in doubt. I didn't what to put them ''loose'' in my 150g if they was acuminatus...

Interesting the comment on behavior. I started the fishes in the refugium which is not that big but still, they seam to stick together pretty well !!

Forgot to say the LFS didn't know what type it was but mentionned they was sold to him as acuminatus, which cannot be a good reference in my view.

Any comment on the general experience you had with them in your tank?
Feeding them how much and with what? Just to compare...

 

[SDguy]

I had one. Fastest growing fish I've ever had. Went from the size of a quarter to over 6" in less than a year. Was VERY cramped in my 110g 4' tank, and ended up jumping, somehow, even with aggcrate on the tank. Found it lying on top of the eggcrate Crazy fast swimmer too...nothing like Chaetodon butterflies. I wouldn't have one again in anything less than a 6, better yet 8, foot tank.

 

[Guillaume]

OK, good to know. I'll watch them closely.

 

[Guillaume]

Well, I don't know if it is Diphreutes or Acuminatus but one got a clear taste since today for my open brain coral. I would doubt it is a passage behavior and will stop tomorow...

 

[dougc]

That's the hard way to identify which species you have. Yikes!

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[Guillaume]

I guess! I was confident it was Diphreutes and still I asked people here, some of which were of the same oppinion. Now, an open brain, as per experience (but not taste), seams really tasty and some fishes that are usually on the limit of being reef-safe (as diphreutes) can develop a taste for it.
So I may be wrong with the identification, or right, but it developped a taste for a coral I prize. So there a choice to be made. And not an easy one. This is a fish I liked a lot and would reconsider in the future, with a more mature tank (more corals to spread the interest for a limit reef-safe fish) and better identification (maybe less juvenile specimen).

 

[SDguy]

I guess! I was confident it was Diphreutes and still I asked people here, some of which were of the same oppinion. Now, an open brain, as per experience (but not taste), seams really tasty and some fishes that are usually on the limit of being reef-safe (as diphreutes) can develop a taste for it.
So I may be wrong with the identification, or right, but it developped a taste for a coral I prize. So there a choice to be made. And not an easy one. This is a fish I liked a lot and would reconsider in the future, with a more mature tank (more corals to spread the interest for a limit reef-safe fish) and better identification (maybe less juvenile specimen).

Sorry for the thread revive, but I wanted to point out, in case anyone else reads this, that just because you have a H. diphreutes doesn't mean you have a 100% reef safe fish, especially not with corals like open brains, which even tangs and genicanthus angels are known to acquire a taste for. The fish pictured in the last two pics is 100% diphreutes.

 

[Guillaume]

Thanks SDguy
So far my tang didn't had a taste for my open brain, which doesn't mean another "reef safe" fish could not develop it. It is a risk of trying "limit" reef safe, which was a first for me.
But the whole experience was far more a learning than just about the open brain. So this was good...and sad at the same time.

 

[Empty Bottles]

Oops