Pair of Yellow Hawaiian Leaf fish

[Finsky]

Two days ago I received my one five inch green Bubble Tip Anemone to go with the three greens and two Red Rose Bubble Tips I already have from the Diver's Den.

I also received a pair of Yellow Hawaiian Leaf fish, one 3 1/2" and the other 3 1/4". They have been free to roam the tank with no one bothering them whatsoever. I have a 4 1/2" Powder Blue Tang, a 4" Purple Tang, a 3 1/2" Regal Angel, a 3 1/2" Blue Girdled Angel, a pair of Cinnamon Clowns and a pair of Clarkii Clowns.

The Leaf fish will sit next to the anemones at times and the most aggressive clown, the female Cinnamon does not even bother them?

They travel all over the aquarium these past two days and this evening I tried to wiggle a piece of silver side and krill in front of both and they were not having any of it so I fed the pieces to my anemones which usually get razor clam pieces which I will try giving to the Leaf fish this weekend when I feed the anemones. I do have six different types of frozen foods?

I really do not want to have to fill a net with Ghost Shrimp and put it in front of them as I want them to train them to eat nonlive food.

Any success stories?

I hope so.

 

[fish stalker]

Not an expert and can certainly understand you wanting to go to non living food, I have had my leaf fish for quite a few months and only live food, no interest so far in anything else. I'm using a green net each time i feed to try and get the leaf to associate it with food and then hopefully i can try some other food in the net with the live etc. Good luck.

 

[namxas]

leaf fish are really great fish, but are notoriously one of the hardest to convert to prepared foods. these fish generally end up eating live for life. our record with them is 50% one never converted, and the other was a very aggressive feeder.

the net is are great way to make sure they get food, as well as a good training tool. try using live ghosties and/or guppies until they get hip to the net meaning food. give them a month or so to get them conditioned.

then, let them get hungry and add a live guppy AND a dead or semi-dead (about 5 mins in the freezer). the fish will sometimes make a mistake, and if it does repeat the process. you can also offer the semi-dead guppy alone in the net (they begin to wiggle as they warm up).

if this works out, then offer the tail end of a silverside cut to be the size of the guppies it's used to, and it may swap over.

the absolute best way to do this is in a QT.

patience and persistence are what it takes for tuff converters. never stop trying, as you never know when something might click.

 

[Finsky]

Thanks for the information.

I really like these and think they are just the coolest. I did have six yellow tailed damsels and found on dead on the live rock near one of the Leaf fish? Anyways, it was at least one inch and I figured it was too big for their mouths so I took it out of the tank.

Petco only had one live Ghost Shrimp yesterday, so I only purchased frozen silversides and krill. I was told Petsmart on the other side of town carries live Ghost Shrimp so I will try to get them there and feed with a green net. I have a small net and a larger net.

I have a small net and a 6" x 10" net? I think it would be better to use the large net?

 

[namxas]

just a small net will do...

 

[anbosu]

I was going to order some of these recently but decided not to when I read that most of them require live food for life. I'm just not at a place where I can continually buy live food, even though they are really cool fish.

 

[Finsky]

My LFS tells me to continually wave seafood in front of them

My LFS tells me to continually wave seafood in front of them

I am going to continue waving different fresh frozen seafood such as razor clam, small shrimp, etc. in front of their faces.

I am also going to try some Ghost Shrimp from Petsmart tomorrow. If they would at least eat these, I would be satisfied.

I buy $16.00 lb. razor clam from the Quinalt Tribe I have special ordered from the local Safeway Grocery store. I cut them in half inch pieces and freeze. After this I thaw a chunk cut off with a knife and feed to my six Bubble Tip Anemones. I also get small shrimp and scalops from the grocery store.

There is a local fish market here near the Port of Olympia on the South Purget Sound where I can get octopus, squid, etc. to cut up, thaw, and feed as necessary.

I hope to eventually get my Leaf fish into a diet of this nature.

Time will tell.

It is not a problem for me to feed live Ghost Shrimp if I enjoy keeping a certain ocean creature which requires a special diet such as the anemones which require hand feeding with a feeding stick and I now have six of them. A pound of razor clam lasts for quite a while as I usually feed the anemones once or twice a week.

02/07/07 Powder Blue Tang - 4 1/2"
10/23/07 Purple tang - 4"

02/07/09 Blue Girdled Angelfish - 3 1/12"
08/24/08 Regal Angelfish - 3 1/12"

12/07/06 Pair Clarkii Clownfish
10/01/06 Pair Cinnamon Clownfish
02/27/08 5 Yellow Tailed Blue Damsels
02/27/08 3 Four Striped Damsels
04/19/09 1 black mouth Damsel
09/17/09 two six lined Wrasses
04/27/10 Pair of Yellow Hawaiian Leaf Scorpionfish

09/18/08 Red rose bubble tipped anemone
10/01/09 Red rose bubble tipped anemone
02/23/10 Green Long Tentacle anemone
02/23/10 Green Long Tentacle anemone
03/31/10 Green Long Tentacle anemone
04/27/10 Green Long Tentacle anemone

 

[Finsky]

Hallelujah! Them thar fish have eaten!

Hallelujah! Them thar fish have eaten!

just a small net will do...

I called my local fish store who has a red Leaf Scorpionfish and a red Rogue/Sailfin Scorpionfish togeather in a standard 12" x 12" x 12" store aquarium continuously connected boxes.

Tonight he put some White Clouds in to show me they were both eating while the Rogue gulped two or three in a row swimming towards them, the Leaf was a bit slower and might not have gotten the last one swimming around the surface. Apparently, he has the Rogue eating prepared frozen food.

I took home 10 White Clouds for $20 each as he and everybody is out of feeder guppies in this area. I then stopped by Petsmart and got six Ghost Shrimp for $33 each! Drs. Foster and Smith has feeder platies by the 100 which would stock a breeder tank of 20 gallons?

Anyways, my halides had gone out by the auto timer by the time I arrive home with my food. Both Yellow Leaf fish were on the rocks near the left end of the tank. I turned my two Hydor 8's off and tried the White Clouds first even though Drs. F & S had been feeding them Ghost Shrimp exclusively.

I scouped out about half of the White Clouds with a "small" green net and "both" fish showed amazing interest as I moved the fish ladened net towards them. They both gobbled them up and I then fed the other half.

After this I put the Ghost Shrimp in with the net and they each got one as far as I could see with the actinics on and the rest of the shrimp looked like they dove for the rocks.

The Leaf fish then just stayed where they were. Sometimes one will siddle up next to the other with their heads facing the same way.

I am wondering how often I will should feed them White Clouds, feeder guppies, or feeder platies?

I have been told it is better for them to be weaned onto some prepared food for their life long health if possible?

 

[namxas]

ghosties are best, but feeder guppies and platies (appropriately-sized) will work as well. we generally keep a small tank of guppies and ghosties all the time, even if all of our fish are weaned "just in case". fed them a high quality marine flake food to bump up their nutritional value.

we feed our scorps 3x a week (M-W-F). feed them until you see a small bulge in their bellies (you'll know what i mean when you see it).

IME, the leaf and the waspfish will indeed cohabitate with no problems. in fact, we had hoped that the leaf would "get the idea" from the waspfish (which is a happy glutton) and learn to take prepared food, but leaf fish are stubborn.

our c.ockatoo waspfish is one of my fave fish that we're keeping. there's just something about it that makes me smile whenever i watch it.

i've never seen a red Ablabys before, can you snap some pix of the fish?

yellow leaf and its ambon buddy:

c.ockatoo waspfish and bristletail filefish:

 

[small alien]

Sorry to gush, but, Greg, I could look at your photos all day! So cool!

 

[Elysia]

I was hoping to have a thread like this to post in. I bought a small leaf the other week after watching it injest a ghost shrimp at the LFS. He was a beautiful moltled brown color, and I have been wanting a leaf for a long time. I had a nano up and running for months in prep. Despite the fish eating in his new digs and even doing an impromptu shedding, he died on day 7 with me for a reason that I could not determine (and the store's guaruntee is 5 days.) So I sure wish you luck with yours and that you get multiple years of enjoyment out of them. In the 7 days I had mine, I really enjoyed watching it.

 

[Sheol]

Cool little fish! Venomous I presume?

Matthew

 

[Finsky]

Yellow Leaf Scorpionfish

Yellow Leaf Scorpionfish

ghosties are best, but feeder guppies and platies (appropriately-sized) will work as well. we generally keep a small tank of guppies and ghosties all the time, even if all of our fish are weaned "just in case". fed them a high quality marine flake food to bump up their nutritional value.

we feed our scorps 3x a week (M-W-F). feed them until you see a small bulge in their bellies (you'll know what i mean when you see it).

IME, the leaf and the waspfish will indeed cohabitate with no problems. in fact, we had hoped that the leaf would "get the idea" from the waspfish (which is a happy glutton) and learn to take prepared food, but leaf fish are stubborn.

our c.ockatoo waspfish is one of my fave fish that we're keeping. there's just something about it that makes me smile whenever i watch it.

i've never seen a red Ablabys before, can you snap some pix of the fish?

yellow leaf and its ambon buddy:

c.ockatoo waspfish and bristletail filefish:

Real nice photos.

I was thinking of buying a 20 gallon to keep in the loft on a small homemade table about 14 inches high with four by four legs with a sponge filter for feeder guppies.

Are feeder platies too big for a Leaf and are you saying you still feed live even though your leaf or leafs are on prepared food?

I will not feed ghost shrimp again as my live rock extends the entire length of my five foot tank and I had four of six dive for the rocks out of a small green net and maybe each Leaf got one! That could be expensive.

I wonder whether keeping a Sailfin along with the pair of Yellow leafs would be too much. It seems they enjoy travelling back and forth the entire length of my tank for the past eight days. Also, it would be another fish to acclimate with a Powder Blue, Purple Tang, Regal and Majestic Angels, a pair of Clarkii clowns and Cinnamon clowns, and a two six lined wrasses and three four striped damsels who are getting along famously with the mated pair of Yellow Leafs.

 

[namxas]

only one of the leafs liked the stick, so live food is the answer.

we've kept a leaf, ambon, c.ockatoo, and a male red fin waspfish together with no trouble.

 

[Finsky]

Tonight my two new family members are getting situated with my pair of Yellow Leaf fish.

Mr. Fu Manchu Lionfish at 3 1/2" and a Redfin Waspfish at 1 1/2".

Everybody seems to be getting along.

Yesterday I saw one Leaf fish "swim" from the back of the tank on top of the rocks to the it pair in the front substrate. I lunged and floated like a kite down until it literally did a landing right into the other Leaf fish. This was very amusing and I think this type of behavior makes them a very interesting fish.

 

[LisaD]

IMO your tank is too fast/aggressive for leaf fish. They are not competitive eaters, you will have a very hard time getting them enough food. The stinging inverts are an accident waiting to happen. Mine never ate anything but live.

IMO they should be in a smaller tank by themselves, or with the scorps. I know this isn't what you want to hear or what you asked, but these fish don't belong in the tank you have them. They'd be fine with the fu and waspfish, but I'd move all four of them.

IME waspfish will eat frozen, fu manchu, not so much. Just because namxas and seahorsedreams can do it, doesn't mean us mortals will have success, any more than I will ever get photos like theirs.

 

[Finsky]

Opinions are like "noses and everyone has one.

Opinions are like "noses and everyone has one.

I do not agree with your "expert" opinion and I think the truth is in the pudding.

You can put a smile or a silk hat on a pig and it is still a pig.

I have talked with various personages from Drs. F & S who know of my four year old mature tank with very extensive rock work.

I prefer to keep my scorpion fish and lion fish in a very mature tank with lots of room and rock work and fellow tank inhabitants they get along with and are not too fast for them which appears to be "the case on the ground".

When I worked for the Army Materiel Command we had an officer giving us instruction and he told us a story about Vietnam. There was one helicopter above a raging fire fight and a second helicopter above the first which had the commanding Colonel shouting commands over the radio. He finally said he was going to land and take command of the fight. He landed, took command, and got everyone killed.

The moral of the story being when you are not there seeing everything in person you might not have a firm grasp on the subject!

I introduced my mated pair of Hawaiian Yellow Leaf fish three weeks ago and they have been eating gut packed Ghost Shrimp out of my small green net since then.

Immediately upon entering the tank, they took there rightful stance on the rocks or on the front substrate?

Since then they moved at will from one end of the tank to the other with absolutely no aggression towards them from my other tank members. They will poise themselves at the opening of various crevices as is there nature or showing the most acclimation will both sit side by side in the front substate as they are a mated pair.

The Fu Manchu has followed this same behavior. Nobody is bother him as well so far and I do not expect any aggression towards him or the Waspfish as I watched them in the darkened tank yesterday evening when I first put them in the tank.

This evening I purchased 30 Ghost Shrimp, a 10 gallon All Glass, and a Hagen Aqua Clear power filter which I put on a small 14" high by 24" X 18" homemade bench with 4"x4" legs in my loft/bedroom as my five foot 120 reef sits below along the back wall of the living room. The other bench sits by our front door to sit on when putting on shoes.

Now I have live food at the ready as long as they need it although I keep trying with my feeder stick and frozen food.

Actually, today I had my first success feeding a dead ghost shrimp on the end of a wooden skew/feeding stick to the male leaf fish and he took it! They also had their fill of Ghost Shrimp out of the net.

The Fu Manchu took one large Ghost Shrimp out of the net and I took that as a good start for the first day.

This was the first day with lights for my Fu Manchu Lionfish and Redfin Waspfish(scorpion family) so I have scorpions and a lion.

The Redfin Waspfish stayed out of site in my extensive rock work while the Fu Manchu Lionfish started out the day in the front substrate facing a large crevice between the live rock waiting for food as is their nature. The girl from That Pet Place out of Lancaster, PA told me the Waspfish was eating anything put in the tank and the Fu Manchu Lionfish was eating Ghost Shrimp.

 

[BrianD]

Finsky,

If you only want opinions that you agree with, don't post.

 

[SDguy]

I do not agree with your "expert" opinion and I think the truth is in the pudding.

You can put a smile or a silk hat on a pig and it is still a pig.

I have talked with various personages from Drs. F & S who know of my four year old mature tank with very extensive rock work.

I prefer to keep my scorpion fish and lion fish in a very mature tank with lots of room and rock work and fellow tank inhabitants they get along with and are not too fast for them which appears to be "the case on the ground".

When I worked for the Army Materiel Command we had an officer giving us instruction and he told us a story about Vietnam. There was one helicopter above a raging fire fight and a second helicopter above the first which had the commanding Colonel shouting commands over the radio. He finally said he was going to land and take command of the fight. He landed, took command, and got everyone killed.

The moral of the story being when you are not there seeing everything in person you might not have a firm grasp on the subject!

The obnoxiousness of your reply to Lisa's genuinely helpful post is frankly revolting.

 

[namxas]

Actually, today I had my first success feeding a dead ghost shrimp on the end of a wooden skew/feeding stick to the male leaf fish and he took it!

just out of curiousity, how did you sex your leaf fish? as far as i know, they're not sexually dimorphic, or are you basing it on size/behavior? have the fish actually mated, or were they simply sold as a pair?

IMHO, as long as all of your fish get their share of food, and all their tankmates leave them alone, they should be OK, altho i'd never keep them with LTA's, personally. in fact, i removed a Cerianthus from the 60 gal before adding our smaller scorps "just in case".

i've known Lisa several years, and she has a good deal of experience with scorps and other fish in general. pushing the envelope is all about knowing and accepting any risks involved. i believe she was simply pointing them out so you'd be informed. the trouble is that often, novice keepers come across threads where advanced aquarists are pushing things a bit, and they take them as the rule rather than the exception, which can lead to a bad experience for them if they try it.