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

[bidny]

Mine tends to take a nip at SPS around once every two or three minutes, even if the SPS has no PE. This seems to happen more to the acros than montis, but I do see him nip at both from time to time.

I never see any polyp damage due to the nipping, which makes me think they are eating either the coral mucus or small animals living on the coral.

However, the stomach content analysis that I saw seemed to show around a 95% coral polyp content. The other 5% was plant / algae matter.

Either way, I never see damage, and my SPS still grows well. I just never see (even at night) PE from the majority of my SPS.

My montis grow exceptionally well, FYI.

 

[small alien]

Thank you, Steven. That is helpful. I'm inclined to try it.

Anyone want to talk me out of it???

Cheers.:wave:

 

[small alien]

So, after about 4 weeksish, I moved the files into the 75 gallon mixed reef.

For those who are interested, please join me in a new thread on these amazing fish in this reef environment.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=17527539#post17527539

 

[gotfrogs]

I ordered my pair from DD yesterday. They should be here on Friday.

 

[small alien]

Good luck with them, gotfrogs.

 

[twiggyb]

I've been trying to order these pairs since I've requested them a couple of months ago on DD and everytime they sell out before I even get an email. Most of the time I'm at work though. I have a small male that I've had I think for about 3 months. I keep him in a jbj 12g. He eats mysis and sps :lol: Without the acros in there he gets skinny pretty quick, I never see him eat the polyps, but rather picks at the skin of them. Not sure, maybe just the slime off them? He was maybe an inch when I got him, but has since grown a half an inch. He started off eating roe then quit, then picked up flakes and pellets then quit, then started mysis and brine, quit the brine and just nipped at mysis. Finally he started eating mysis, but he won't eat it unless it's whole. I'm hoping I can get him to eat more of a variety as he grows bigger.

 

[small alien]

Interesting feeding info, twiggyb. Got a picture of your little fella?

 

[twiggyb]

:thumbsupne for here too:thumbsup:

 

[small alien]

That fish is buggin'! You have the Flava Flav of filefish. Just needs a little clock hanging from it.

 

[twiggyb]

Just so happens he had his piece and chain on right before this pic and then it slipped off on the one I posted, but here's that one

 

[small alien]

good show, twiggyb!!!!!

 

[bidny]

That's awesome! Hahaha!

 

[twiggyb]

Waaaaaaaaaa!

 

[gotfrogs]

I purchased a pair from DD last week and they arrived on Friday the 20th. I did not get them to eat anything until Sunday. I had attempted frozen mysis, flake food, pellets, frozen Cyclop-eeze, roe, and live baby brine shrimp but did not have any luck. The food that did work was Instant Ocean Cyclop-Eeze gel attached to an SPS skeleton. Here is a short video that I just took of one of them eating.

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[Makenna]

When I got mine in I used the same brands they do at DFS. That is the Hikari frozen brine and mysis.

Just wanted to mention it just in case you tried different brands.

 

[gotfrogs]

Makenna - Thanks for the post. I gave Hikari mysis a try several times and the most I got was a small tasting of the shrimp followed by spitting it out.

 

[Makenna]

try again and watch them closely. I found that the hikari was a bit to large and that they would spit it out, break it up, and then swallow the smaller pieces.

The Hikari brine however seems to be a bit easier for them to get down.

That being said, the male I have is a bit larger than the female and she does have a bit tougher time. She loves the flake though.

Just keep at it and keep a close eye on the water quality for sure. The one in the video looks healthy, so that is half the battle.

 

[small alien]

At least it is eating something prepared even if you have to work pretty hard at it. I would suggest taking that gel cyclops and rubbing it or some juice from it on another food, maybe pellets. Let them soften and get the smell of something the fish associates with food. Then mash them up a bit and put them into the water column with the flow on. See what happens. Thanks to Uhuru for that input when I got mine.

Good luck.

 

[namxas]

You can also try Nutramar Ova. As Makenna mentioned, many OSFF seem to like BS+ a lot.

 

[gotfrogs]

Just wanted to give an update on my pair. Last week I move them over to my 120 gallon reef tank. They seem to be enjoying the extra room. I just hope I can get the enough food with the other 4 fish and two cleaner shrimp in the tank. I have the hardest time keeping the shrimp off of their feeding post.