I've had an aiptasia/mojano problem in my 90 for a long time. A couple days ago, I caught wind of the Aiptasia Eating Filefish. After doing a bunch of research over the last couple days, I picked up a matted filefish last night. So far over the first day he's chowed down on mysis and anything else I feed, but he hasn't touched aiptasia or majanos. Mostly, he's just been swimming up and down the back wall, nose to the wall, as if he's trying to swim out of the tank. He has stayed entirely along the walls on the fringes, and hasn't come down into the rock work as I hoped. Mostly, he's been up top hiding among the powerheads and pipes. I cut off one powerhead and directed most of the flow toward the surface to cut down on the in tank flow so hopefully he can adjust and I can re-increase the flow slowly over the next week or so. Right now I'm just hoping he doesn't jump. He jumped at the LFS ended up in a tank below where he was. He tried jumping a few minutes ago when the mag float spooked him, but he didn't make it out of the tank. I have a canopy on there, but there's a good sized opening in the back I'm afraid he could find. Given he acclimates, I'll let you know how he does on majano and aiptasia and how he is reef safe wise, as he is a potential a potent anti-aiptasia/majano weapon if my research is correct.
Matted (Aiptasia Eating) Filefish
- Thread starter LCP136
- Start date
Kahuna Tuna
Active member
I have kept three and all of them very quickly destroyed the aiptasia in both my main tank and refugium. Sooner or later it will take down the aiptasia and mojano. I had a pair in my display but one of them was getting picked on and had her tail chewed off, interesting enough the other filefish hasnt been bothered at all, nor has my orangetail file. I now keep one matted in my refugium and one in the display along with the orangetail file. One of my matted files was very outgoing and the other was and is still quite shy, very interesting little fish, love to watch them hover around like little helicopters.
Kahuna Tuna
Active member
I wouldn't trust any file in a tank full of corals but you never know. Both of the species I have kept have been well behaved but I think that is the exception, not the rule.
Sigmund
New member
I have one in my reef now for about 6 months. Decided to try him because at the LFS he was in a full blown reef for a couple of months with no problems. sounds like yours is still a little spooked by the behavior it is displaying. Once settled in should hang more around the rockwork. mine has become very social will even come up to my hands to eat, helps that I have a lot of outgoing fish in my tank, the new ones learn how to beg with the others. I have shrooms, rics, zoos, and other LPS corals (frogspawn, and a few leathers) with no problems. Luck of the draw from what I have heard. No aiptasia anywhere to be found either. 
Kahuna Tuna
Active member
I keep both a matted and an orangetail in my display tank and so far they haven't touched my LTA but my pair of true percs who are very defensive may have something to do with that.
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
IME. I never once saw our pair eating appies, but the appies did indeed disappear after they were added to the tank. I can't call ours "outgoing", but the female was a lot braver than the male at first.
My fave thing about the fish is the fact that they turned a lovely shade of green to match the live macro in the setup:
My fave thing about the fish is the fact that they turned a lovely shade of green to match the live macro in the setup:
