Oxymonacanthus longirostris pair enters a mixed reef environment

[D5HP]

I'm very excited to report that my male finally ate hikari mysis last night after nearly a year in my care and having mysis in the tank probably every day during that year. That is just crazy. I'm pretty sure it "learned" it from the female, however that works exactly. She started eating it a week or two ago. And he likes to chase her from food. So, he's chasing her because she's eating but then he kind of goes, "wait a minute?!?" and tries a bite and lo and behold, it tastes like food!!! And then he just started sucking them down.

Fantastique!

That's awesome! Now you shouldn't have any issues getting them to eat! I really can't wait for mine to venture over to a simple and healthy frozen food.

I am really worried about vacations and traveling for work since right now I'm putting more food in the tank every hour or so. Time will tell...though I hope it doesn't take me a year.

Congrats!

 

[Terryz_]

That's great to see them eating. Have you tried turning off the flow for a bit? Most people's like to pick food from the bottom too. The small one looks pretty "thinky". Hopefully you can get some weight on it pronto. Good luck!

I normally will off the pump when the food gets dispersed becos my homemade food floats... When the pump is off, they will start eating from the bottom too... The small one is quite thin when I got it... It is eating a lot every feeding the stomach is always filled with food... Hope it gain some weight too..

 

[Terryz_]

I have a doubt, if they are the same sex, they will fight right? if they are of opposite sex, they will hang along well? Is keeping a group possible..

 

[Terryz_]

I'm very excited to report that my male finally ate hikari mysis last night after nearly a year in my care and having mysis in the tank probably every day during that year. That is just crazy. I'm pretty sure it "learned" it from the female, however that works exactly. She started eating it a week or two ago. And he likes to chase her from food. So, he's chasing her because she's eating but then he kind of goes, "wait a minute?!?" and tries a bite and lo and behold, it tastes like food!!! And then he just started sucking them down.

Fantastique!

I am going to try hikari mysis too.. Mine even took a nibble at pellet but too big to fit in the mouth so they gave up..

 

[small alien]

That's awesome! Now you shouldn't have any issues getting them to eat! I really can't wait for mine to venture over to a simple and healthy frozen food.

I am really worried about vacations and traveling for work since right now I'm putting more food in the tank every hour or so. Time will tell...though I hope it doesn't take me a year.

Congrats!

Thanks, Dustin. I only feed 2-3 times a day and the weight on mine is very steady. Though I know they do eat some coral.

 

[small alien]

I have a doubt, if they are the same sex, they will fight right? if they are of opposite sex, they will hang along well? Is keeping a group possible..

There is a roughly 150 gallon cube at a public aquarium in California that has 5, 2 males and 3 females. I can't remember the aquarist's name but he's contributed to this thread somewhere along the line. I've seen two females sold together on DD one time if my memory serves. Which it sometimes does and sometimes doesn't.

 

[small alien]

I am going to try hikari mysis too.. Mine even took a nibble at pellet but too big to fit in the mouth so they gave up..

Have you tried soaking the pellets? Soak them in the juice of a frozen food that your files are already eating for about 10 minutes, then smoosh them into a paste and spread them on the side of a power head, letting the bits spray all over. Then turn off the flow and watch the feeding frenzy that ensues. Hopefully.:worried:

 

[Terryz_]

There is a roughly 150 gallon cube at a public aquarium in California that has 5, 2 males and 3 females. I can't remember the aquarist's name but he's contributed to this thread somewhere along the line. I've seen two females sold together on DD one time if my memory serves. Which it sometimes does and sometimes doesn't.

I guess, I will stop at 2, not sure if it a pair as I really cannot confirm the sex...

Have you tried soaking the pellets? Soak them in the juice of a frozen food that your files are already eating for about 10 minutes, then smoosh them into a paste and spread them on the side of a power head, letting the bits spray all over. Then turn off the flow and watch the feeding frenzy that ensues. Hopefully.:worried:

I will try it... I am using DD H20 Reefpaste but they seems uninterested...

 

[D5HP]

I guess, I will stop at 2, not sure if it a pair as I really cannot confirm the sex...

Sexing OSFF is actually trivial!

The males have a small orange spot on their bottom black fin.

The male is on top in this photo...notice the orange spot:

 

[small alien]

Also, the males have clear white dots on a black background. Females its just kind of greyish.

 

[small alien]

Male and female eating mysis! Hooray! And I was wrong, all my fish already eat prawn roe. This makes two foods!

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xtaFi3HIKrI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[small alien]

That's a cute shot, Dustin. You caught your files looking kind of coy.

 

[Terryz_]

I guess, I will stop at 2, not sure if it a pair as I really cannot confirm the sex...

Sexing OSFF is actually trivial!

The males have a small orange spot on their bottom black fin.

The male is on top in this photo...notice the orange spot:

I know but the problem is mine, one is black and one is orange... What to make out of that? Hahaha...

Or mine is still juvenile as they seems small compared to most what you guys have?

 

[Terryz_]

Male and female eating mysis! Hooray! And I was wrong, all my fish already eat prawn roe. This makes two foods!

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xtaFi3HIKrI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Cool!!! I am going to try some pipefish too if I can find the multiband or janns, Seen blue stripe very often...

 

[small alien]

My pipefish are doing pretty great if I may say. I've had a banded (almost always hidden in the rock work) and a yellow multi-band for about a year. Both eat cyclops, mysis (hikari) and prawn roe. The yellow multi is out and about much more and is my favorite pipefish looks-wise. This month's Coral is about pipes. It has a great little article about breeding bluestripes and I think I would like to give that a try one of these days. Pipes are rad. Though I have had less than 50% "success" with them. It seems a lot has to do with whether an individual pipe "wants to thrive". It's kind of that simple. Will they eat? Good luck.

 

[small alien]

Some video of my yellow eating roe. Or maybe it's everyone BUT my yellow eating roe, now that I watch it.

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qIhQuPbk9nM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[small alien]

And eating cyclops. As you can see, I had a pair. Only one thrived.

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lmRkBUzan3U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[small alien]

And the banded.

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/csd2CQUoVxM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Terryz_]

That is so cool... I will try them when I get my chance...

 

[LemonLemon]

oh hi terry.

so this is what you're up to. haha! good luck