Just bought a pair of Orange Spotted Filefish on DD. Now what?!?

[small alien]

Hi. I have read about these fish a lot and they've been at the top of my wish list for a while. DD has had pairs eating mysis and brine several times recently but I've missed them. Well, today, I ordered a pair.

I have my 75 in my signature. Do we think they'll do okay in that community of fish bioload not withstanding? If I need to remove someone, who would that be?

I have a 30 gallon cube that is not set up. Would they be better off in there alone? DD says 50 gallons.

I have a 10 gallon established QT. Could I keep them in there for a little while so I can make sure they're eating and get there new home established?

Please don't give me too much trouble for not knowing exactly where these fish will end up. I am confident I can care for them and this was not an impulse buy. But I do have some decisions to make and I'd appreciate input. They'll be here Wednesday!!!

THANKS!

 

[edwing206]

I'd put them in a tank by themselves. From the reading I've done they are slow eaters and will be outcompeted for food. Also make sure that you have a strong skimmer, because you will be feeding these guys a lot.

Also pot pics please!
-Luis

 

[small alien]

Thanks, Luis. I do feed my main tank a lot because of my dragonets and pipefish. I don't believe they will be out-competed for food. Have you heard it suggested they need more feedings than pipes and dragonets? I feed 2 times per day, 3 on weekends. I turn off the flow for about 1/2 hour so there is a lot of time to eat.

I will post pics!

 

[namxas]

the real key is to make sure you get them eating for you, even tho they're sold as such. to that end, i'd at LEAST start them out in a QT to get them conditioned and fattened-up. THEN, you might give them a shot with low-key tankmates.

that being said, our pair is alone in a species setup just for them. we have given thoughts of trying them with our SH, but Renee worked so hard weaning them, i honestly don't think she wants to risk it.

JM .02...

 

[zachfishman]

Although captive fish do not always attain maximum size, orange-spotted filefish still get quite large. If you don't put them in your 75 now, they'll need the space eventually (and them some).

 

[small alien]

Thanks Greg. Do you think a 10g QT would be okay for them. Said their sizes were 2 3/4 and 3 inches respectively. How often do you guys feed yours? What size tank are they in?

Thanks, Zach. My Japanese wife would agree, there's no such thing as too much nori! I saw max size 5 inches. Does that sound right? Do we feel that's too big for the 30g cube?

Thanks!

 

[zachfishman]

So long as we're talking about this filefish, I've seen them at the full reported 8" max for the species on several occasions diving.

 

[SMOOTHIE]

Thanks, Luis. I do feed my main tank a lot because of my dragonets and pipefish. I don't believe they will be out-competed for food. Have you heard it suggested they need more feedings than pipes and dragonets? I feed 2 times per day, 3 on weekends. I turn off the flow for about 1/2 hour so there is a lot of time to eat.

I will post pics!

Google the article Matt Pederson did for Coral Magazine. There is an interesting and proven for him idea on mashing gel based foods onto/into dead sps branches to entice them into feeding prepped foods. As fasr as feedings go---as much as they will take at a time. Salt is cheap for water changes compared to the experience of success with these guys

 

[namxas]

a 10 would likely be OK for QT purposes as long as you keep up with WC's.
i don't think this fish will get anywhere near that in captivity...i think 5"-6" is about max. i'm sure it's a nutritional issue, as it is with most fish.

if both fish are eating right away, just fatten them up a bit. i haven't heard of any of the weaned DD fish backsliding.

we feed ours pellets once a day and mixed mysis & BS+ in the evening as well as some shaved salmon flesh every so often (all feedings are small amounts over the course of an hour or so). i should mention that our fish hunt and eat pods thruout the day as well.

HTH

 

[jmaneyapanda]

So long as we're talking about this filefish, I've seen them at the full reported 8" max for the species on several occasions diving.

This is why common names are dumb in this trade. He is reffering to Oxymonacanthus longirostris.

 

[kaimarkhirst]

Well, congrats on your purchase and welcome to the wonderful world of impossible to keep species!!!!! Heres how ive kept mine for the last 4 months or so... I wont relay the obviousness of how hard they are to keep, just tell you how i keep mine....

1. I feed 2 times daily with a mix of cockles, mysis, krill and brine shrimp with added vitamin b supplements. They are also grazers from coral polyps such as gorgonians, acros, even anemone mucus and foods from their mouth. Picture to back that up..

2. Dont worry about aggressive tankmates theyll hold their own unless you have a clown trigger, or queen angel, or some other bad tempered fish alike.. Fin nippers be careful with. Any such stress will kill them...

3. Your tank. Too much stocking for feeding purposes as it takes them a while to start feeding and by the time they start eating, the food will mostly be gone.... Dunno what to take out, just something needs to give... I planned my tank down to the last coral and fish, this purchase is not an impulse one, but its a rushed one.

4. Your tank surroundings need to provide a safe refuge at night as the sress of nighttime can kill him unless he has a stable territory to refuge in. I keep 2 sea fans and a small forest of gorgonians and acros where he dives into when the dusk lighting comes on... Make sure that he has or finds a similar refuge for him in your tank....

5. Your tank params have to be bulletproof. Any significant change in the waste either leaking back to your tank from the skimmer, or overstocking will kill him. I keep bluespotted ribbontail rays and i would put this filefish at the top of the difficult species list with them... Make sure your skimmer is on top form, and your tank is clean... If youve got uv, run it unless youve got a good zooplankton ratio in your tank. I dont and run a uv to keep the tank clean with my ozonizer.

Once you get past the 2 month stage, youve pretty much cracked it...

Theres not much else I can say but good luck!!!

 

[zachfishman]

This is why common names are dumb in this trade. He is reffering to Oxymonacanthus longirostris.

Aha, I was wondering about that. good luck, I hear that leatherjackets are near-impossible to keep unless you have a massive SPS system to feed them.

 

[namxas]

This is why common names are dumb in this trade. He is reffering to Oxymonacanthus longirostris.

+1000

Renee and i live in the world of scorpionfish, and they're NEVER properly ID'd...even the lions, which should be EZ are always wrong.

 

[small alien]

Thanks, Greg. Sorry for the use of the misleading common name. As a horticulturist, I should know better.

I will put them in the 10 g QT when they come tomorrow. I've got mysis, cyclops, roe and brine to try. DD said they were eating all 4 of those foods.

Greg, what size tank do you have yours in? Are there coral polyps in there they nibble on?

Thanks for taking the time, Kaimark.

"3. Your tank. Too much stocking for feeding purposes as it takes them a while to start feeding and by the time they start eating, the food will mostly be gone.... Dunno what to take out, just something needs to give... I planned my tank down to the last coral and fish, this purchase is not an impulse one, but its a rushed one."

I guess you're right to a point, it is rushed because they were available. But I'm not totally sure what else I would do to prepare that I'm not doing now. I truly don't think they'll be outcompeted for food but I could be wrong. I have lots of slow eaters in there and make sure even they get their share. Does anyone else have a suggestion for if and what I need to remove from my stock list in my sig? My basic analysis mentally and visually tells me there is room for these fish in there, but I will say just barely.

Are we suggesting these fish need cleaner water than most SW fish? Params are always 0's across. Little in the way of nuisance algae, etc., so I think my water is pretty good. Maybe not "SPS clean" but it's a clean tank.

Thanks so much for the input. I am truly excited about these fish. They are beyond amazing and I am really optimistic and hopeful that I will be able to keep them for many years.

 

[namxas]

since the fish have been weaned, there are no corals in the tank, but there is a decent amount of branchy LR so there are lots of hunting/hiding places, altho the female seems to like the Koralia as a night time roost. this is the only tank we have a PH in, BTW, which is there to help keep the food items suspended in the water column.

the tank is a 20 gal acrylic with a HOB filter, the Koralia, and a "slow" airline. lighting is a small commercial LED fixture. there is a bit of HA growing in the tank, which we leave since it harbors the pods the fish snack on thruout the day. we try to run the tank in the 75*F - 77*F range.

 

[small alien]

Thanks, Greg. Really appreciate that info. By slow airline, you mean an airpump connected to an airstone for oxygenation?

How often do you do water changes on the 20 and how much water do you change?

Thanks a bunch.

 

[small alien]

Okay, so, I'm pretty much driving my wife nuts talking about these fish. :hmm4: I have actually never seen a specimen in person. To me, this is hands down the most fascinating looking small SW fish I have ever seen. It looks like it evolved on Mars. :bigeyes:

Just put some extra decor (plastic plants) in the QT to help make them feel comfortable. Also am going to add a little more LR so there are some swim throughs. And there are a couple pieces of pvc in there. About 1 inch of well established sand bed. And a peppermint shrimp for Aptasia control. Sound cool?

Tomorrow's the day. :celeb1: Wish us luck!

 

[aquaph8]

Good luck

 

[namxas]

we change out about 5-10 gals a month. we actually had to change more while the fish we weaning and before we got a handle on how much to feed them, as one of the things these fish will do is go off their feed if the water quality drops.

we don't use airstones, but we drop a piece of opne-ended rigid tubing into the tank and dial the bubble back a bit to help with circulation/surface turbulance in the rear corner.

good luck with your fish...they're very cool critters.

here's some eye candy while you wait:

 

[uhuru]

Congratulations on the OSFF pair! Mine has been in a 20g QT tank with a group of greedy cardinals for several months, and does ok in terms of food competition. They are slow eaters and a lot of the food falls to the ground (I use NLS pellets softened up in tank water). I like keeping the tank BB because mine will clean up the bottom afterwards. I do a 25% w/c every 2 wks but used to to it once or twice a week when I was getting him to eat pellets. Just really watch out for nutrient levels if you have a sand bed that gets overloaded with decomposing food! I am moving mine to a planted tank soon as I figure all that food that falls to the ground will feed the plants.