Success Rate for Helfrichi Firefish

[camaroracer214]

Just wanting to know if anyone has or has had a Helfrichi firefish. I work at a LFS and I decided to have the boss order me a couple to go into my high end 24 gallon JBJ nano. I do realize that they may fight. However that is not much of a concern since I can relocate it to another tank. Just curious about success with them. They are surprisingly cheap wholesale, so if something happens I won't be losing $300+, although it will still be a little bit.

 

[snorvich]

One is easy IF you don't have a fish to intimidate it. If there is intimidation they will hide and starve to death. Two will work if they are a pair.

 

[snorvich]

Oh, but be sure your tank is covered. They jump.

 

[SDguy]

Do they get as big as other types of firefish? They are always SO dinky at the LFS when I see them.

 

[camaroracer214]

i have some eggcrate and mesh material to put over the tank while the fish get adjusted to my tank. they are going in with a pair of picasso clowns, which are very very docile (at least up to this point). i have kept lots of other firefish in the past and never thought i would get helfrichi's so i never thoroughly researched them.

i know they are a deeper water species than most other firefish. so light intensity and tank temp are of some concern to me. but i'm confident in being able to care for them as they seem fairly easy like other firefish.

 

[snorvich]

Peter, they tend to be less than other firefish in stature. Or at least the ones I have seen in aquaria and in the wild.

Egg crate will not keep a firefish (or fairy/flasher wrasses) in. You need 1/4 inch holes or less.

there seems to be no issue with light and I keep my temperature at 78 F

 

[camaroracer214]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12680188#post12680188 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by snorvich
Peter, they tend to be less than other firefish in stature. Or at least the ones I have seen in aquaria and in the wild.

Egg crate will not keep a firefish (or fairy/flasher wrasses) in. You need 1/4 inch holes or less.

there seems to be no issue with light and I keep my temperature at 78 F

thanks steve, that's basically the response i was looking for.

as for the holes. i forgot to mention that on the eggcrate i'll have a think mesh material, at least for a few days while the fish gets adjusted. i'll slowly peel back that and then eventually hope to not have any cover.

 

[jda]

You will lose them if you don't have a cover. They will jump at any time.

 

[triggerfish1976]

I don't think they are any more difficult than other fire fish just more expensive.

 

[snorvich]

Definitely not more difficult. But they WILL jump. Guaranteed.

 

[lecher]

I had a fire fish jump straight through eggcrate and end up on the floor. He had been in the tank for a while. They will jump eventually.

 

[snorvich]

Yes, egg crate is irrelevant to keeping a firefish IN the tank. May make you feel secure but the fish won't be bothered by it.

 

[Macimage]

As already noted, you would need to keep the tank permanently covered with more than eggcrate.

Joyce

 

[DrBegalke]

I had the same questions about lighting and temp.
My helfrichi has done fine though under bright lighting and with temps ~80-82.

I would say mine is a little over 2".

 

[snorvich]

Despite being a deep water fish, I have never had a problem with these fish and high lighting. I do keep my temperature at 78 F though. I think mine is right at two inches and it is three years old (in my tank).

 

[chewdoggie]

Do they get as big as other types of firefish? They are always SO dinky at the LFS when I see them.

We have a 1000gl display reef at our shop. We added four helfrichi fires expecting that we may only get a pair. They came in on the smaller side, but have grown considerably over the last 16 months...so they can get just as big as a orange or purple fire.

We still have the original four although lately I have noticed two of them displaying a dominance type behavior where they are almost vertical and sort of circle around one another.

They did hide for the first week, but we also added them in with with about 30 well established reef fish. No one bothered them tho, they were just shy for that first week.

All fires jump. They are a dartfish after all. Almost any fish that is torpedo shaped like that can launch easily - bar gobies, scissortails, etc. But then again I've seen fat puffers and bangaii cardinals end up on the floor over the 30 years I've been in this hobby. It's a risk you take with going rimless.