OrangeSpotted FileFish

matt randazzo

New member
I love the coloration on this fish and i would love to have it, but I heard that is will Only eat SPS coarls, and I don't want SPS corals...(thats why I'm in the FOWLR section) Is there anything else this fish will eat?
 
When I worked in a Marine Shop, one of my coworkers did manage to get a pair onto brine shrimp. It took him a few weeks of patiently trying and they did live in a tank with SPS/LPS corals in the meantime for them to eat. Once he got them successfully eating, he took them home and they did great there. But he did keep them in a reef tank where they could continue to pick at the corals if they wanted. I dont know how you'd go with no corals for them. He went through a few individuals before he succeeded as well.
 
I saw one the other day in a 600 gallon tank, it was chowing on sps, although the tank was completely full to the brim with sps. Gorgeous fish though.
 
Something to keep in mind is that this fish needs to eat small meals all day long, a bit like a mandarin. So even if you have one willing to eat assorted food you need to provide the appropriate system - and tankmates - for it.
 
Matt Pedersen had an article in Coral magazine about his efforts with these "once-thought-impossible-to-keep-without-feeding-them-live-SPS" fish a couple years ago. There are several long threads here on RC about them as well. Divers' Den has occasionally been selling individuals and pairs already weaned onto prepared foods, too. Still a very difficult fish, though; you'll want to do a bunch of reading ahead of time if you try them.
 
I have a pair that at the LFS was nibbling on NLS pellets. I decided to buy them and they are doing well and put on weight in the last 5 months. I have a auto feeder that feeds 4x a day and they are in my fuge with slow flow and lack of other fish competition.

Even with the 1mm pellets I feed, I only see them nibble and never take one whole pellet into their mouth. I don't think their fused mouth is even big enough for it, but they are gaining weight so they must be eating throughout the day.

If it doesn't eat at the store, forget about it!
 
We currently have a pair of OSFF. As mentioned, they require multiple feedings per day of a variety of foods, and are best kept in a species tank or at the very least, a VERY passive setup.

Renee actually weaned ours onto frozen, and I can tell you that I've never seen her work so hard to wean fish (and she's really good at it). I'd actually find her with the covers pulled over her head (the fish were in our bedroom) peeking out a tiny hole just to see if the fish would even take a small peck at whatever food was offered (in addition to the live acros we had to keep them eating something while they learned to eat other foods). Two years later, they're doing fine, but it took a LOT of work to get them eating and get some weight back on them.

There are a couple of extensive threads on them in the Reef Fishes forum.
 
Man Matt, you went from sharks to rays to eels and now OSFF? What kind of tank are you planning to set up here?


Even with the 1mm pellets I feed, I only see them nibble and never take one whole pellet into their mouth. I don't think their fused mouth is even big enough for it, but they are gaining weight so they must be eating throughout the day.

Try the NLS small fish formula, much smaller pellets. If they already like the smell/taste of the NLS I'm sure they will take the tiny pellets like it's their job!
 
Agreed...NLS pellets are the bomb. Our OSFF love them.

Hikari mysis, Hikari BS+, as well as shaved salmon flesh and a few other goodies are all on the menu for our fish.

I would like to reiterate that even if you can find weaned fish from DD, this is a very special needs fish in terms of food, tankmates, and water quality. If you think scorps sounded "special needs", you need to consider this.
 
Back
Top