Oxymonacanthus longirostris pair enters a mixed reef environment

[D5HP]

Cool. Let us know how they respond to the blackworms.

My female nibbled some PE mysis for the first time yesterday. Yay!:thumbsup:

Jealous of your PE luck! Neither of mine will touch mysis. The female still loves brine but the male is ONLY eating the Rogger's (both variants).

I am honestly comfortable with this given what is in the food and all the rave reviews but I would like for him to venture out a bit more and learn to eat pellets eventually since it will be difficult to go on vacation this way.

The blackworms were a waste of $14 and a lunch break.

The filefish are terrified of them. They want nothing to do with them and even the chromis didn't seem extremely interested.

So when you all talk about cyclop-eeze are you talking about the little can of freeze-dried stuff or the frozen?

I finally found a place locally that has the little frozen bricks I might try:

I don't get up there that often though...and I'm a little more concerned with the 1lb of live blackworms in my fridge!! Where's a copperband when you need one?

 

[small alien]

That's the brand of frozen cyclops I use. It's good though I've been disappointed with how many are clear and freezer burned looking vs. orange and yummy. About 50/50 I'd say.

 

[D5HP]

Hmm well I'll have to give it a shot. Do your files eat it? I am trying to find some other foods that I can place in the clip to wean the male onto other foods. I tried feeding Rogger's in the water column today and he just doesn't even look at it.

I can see how difficult and frustrating this would be if he wasn't at least eating from the clip. It isn't a huge deal but now I'll have to have people going to all this trouble when the time comes for me to go on longer vacations.

I am hoping that a large part of this is that I feed so many times a day and he isn't ever "starving" and thus not interested in trying anything new. I really want them to be nice and plump before I start pulling their food away from them for a few days. Don't fix what ain't broke I guess.

EDIT: I forgot I had a lot of really good looking salmon in the freezer. Put a 1cm^2 chunk on the male's clip and the female won't leave it alone. The male doesn't seem quite as interested but the female loves it....where as when I fed in the open water neither cared for it at all.

DOUBLE EDIT: Male is eating salmon from the clip as well.
I imagine I can get him to eat most any fresh fish from the clip after seeing him eat this...as long as it's about the same consistency as this.

 

[small alien]

That is very cool. I've got to try one of these magic clips.

Have you tried Nutramar Ova prawn roe?

Also, try Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef Flakes. Mine are nuts for them and Renee's eat them too. They would be great for an autofeeder.

 

[Terryz_]

Are those clips by TLF... I am getting a pair this weekend if I can find them...

 

[D5HP]

That is very cool. I've got to try one of these magic clips.

Have you tried Nutramar Ova prawn roe?

Also, try Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef Flakes. Mine are nuts for them and Renee's eat them too. They would be great for an autofeeder.

Well unfortunately I'd be concerned with the clip making the fish move away from the pellets and other foods. My female simply eats whatever but the male won't eat from the water column anymore.

I have two flat packs of Ova because I was afraid that was the only thing either would eat. The female does eat the Ova pretty well once it settles on the sandbed. The male pecks around there too but honestly for the past two weeks I've kept a chunk of Rogger's in the clip starting an hour after the lights are on until they go out at night. Both fish have gained weight but not as much as I would have expected. They are definitely heading in the right direction though so I'm confident that after another month of HEAVY feedings like this I will be able to risk them not eating for a day by trying new foods exclusively.

I will get a hold of those flakes. The female has actual nibbled at Formula One flakes today after I crumbled them up. I'll keep trying foods...I can't wait for some dry foods to appease them!

I really think it has a lot to do with the way they feed naturally in the wild because I can see a visible difference based on where I put the food on the clip or how I position them. If the fish can easily face down and eat they are more willing to hang around the clip and eat. This is also why I think most people state their OSFF eat from the sand bed inverted.

Are those clips by TLF... I am getting a pair this weekend if I can find them...

The clips are just basic algae clips you can find them even at most PetsMart. The one from Big Al's Online can be positioned however I want and it will stay in that orientation, where as the other one (Ocean Nutrition) just dangles on the suction cup so I put the food on the edges of the clip.

I would be more worried about finding a pair that is already eating prepared foods.

 

[namxas]

Dustin,

it seems like your fish still want to be "browsers", which is fine, as they seem to be eating really well for you. This behavior will likely help you keep the water quality up, as the food stays put and can be easily removed if uneaten.

It's really interesting that everyone who is keeping these fish seems to have fish with widely varying "tastes" for foods. Back when we tried them, our pair didn't care for the Rogger's foods at all, nor the Nutramar ova.

 

[Monkeyfish]

The blackworms were a waste of $14 and a lunch break.

Sorry, that didn't work out for you. My filefish, OSFF, CBB and cowfish devour the worms. The only fish who don't are anthias.

It's interesting how your pair of OSFF prefer to eat from a clip. Mine snatch food out of the water column and compete with the anthias without hesitation. They do pick at the rocks and sand-bed, but only after the food isn't floating around.

On a side note - the OSFF no longer harasses the cowfish. He ocassionally gives him a "flick" with his tail, but it seems half-hearted and the cowfish pays him no mind.

 

[D5HP]

Dustin,

it seems like your fish still want to be "browsers", which is fine, as they seem to be eating really well for you. This behavior will likely help you keep the water quality up, as the food stays put and can be easily removed if uneaten.

It's really interesting that everyone who is keeping these fish seems to have fish with widely varying "tastes" for foods. Back when we tried them, our pair didn't care for the Rogger's foods at all, nor the Nutramar ova.

Thanks Greg.

They're both eating well so I can't be too worried. That is surprising that your pair didn't eat Rogger's...I don't have a single fish that will turn it down. The Ova is a pretty messy food. I think another part of my problem are the chromis since they are such fanatics at dinner time. Although I do believe they help the OSFF pair realize what is food...to some extent.

It does amaze me that literally everyone's OSFFs will eat something entirely different. I guess you can eat whatever you want if you're never eating what you naturally should.

Sorry, that didn't work out for you. My filefish, OSFF, CBB and cowfish devour the worms. The only fish who don't are anthias.

It's interesting how your pair of OSFF prefer to eat from a clip. Mine snatch food out of the water column and compete with the anthias without hesitation. They do pick at the rocks and sand-bed, but only after the food isn't floating around.

On a side note - the OSFF no longer harasses the cowfish. He ocassionally gives him a "flick" with his tail, but it seems half-hearted and the cowfish pays him no mind.

Hmm my anthias was terrified of the blackworms...but she is afraid of everything. I still haven't had any luck catching her to move her over to the OSFF castle.

Good to see your cowfish isn't being badgered anymore!

 

[Terryz_]

I am feeding mine homemade food, and one of them are eating aggressively but the other is not... It is the 2nd day only...

 

[small alien]

My female ate mysis, Hikari, again last night and with more vigor. That means I'm one fish away from having at least one food that every single one of my fish will eat. Ad that would be awesome.

On another note, here's a cool little article on our orange spotted friend on Advanced Aquarist.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/harlequin-filefish-masquerading-as-its-prey

 

[Terryz_]

Wondering if do they need multiple feeding each day?

 

[small alien]

I feed an average of 2-3 times daily. But I feed a lot with the flow off so the fish can really gorge. Also, my files nibble some soft coral and maybe other things too. I don't think they need any more feedings than any other finicky fish like anthias, dragonets, etc. Mine are pretty chunky I'm proud to say.

 

[Terryz_]

Thanks, Becos I took around 30 minutes to feed the one that is feeding until it stop eating and i see the stomach is filled with food...

 

[Terryz_]

Both are feeding now... So happy..

 

[D5HP]

My female ate mysis, Hikari, again last night and with more vigor. That means I'm one fish away from having at least one food that every single one of my fish will eat. Ad that would be awesome.

On another note, here's a cool little article on our orange spotted friend on Advanced Aquarist.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/harlequin-filefish-masquerading-as-its-prey

That's great news with the mysis...I can't wait until mine finally realize it's food.

That article is really intersting because I've been witnessing this behavior. The female actually sleeps in the algae clip every night. It never fails. She hooks herself up to the handle part and stays there motionless all night long. When the lights come on her color is so strange. It's pretty remarkable!

I just wonder if she sleeps on the algae clip because that's where she eats and she associates that with an acro skeleton...because she didn't sleep there until she started feeding from it.

Both are feeding now... So happy..

Awesome!

 

[Terryz_]

Here is a video of them eating...

 

[Terryz_]

Top view

The smaller one..

The bigger one...

 

[small alien]

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!

 

[small alien]

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!