Thornback Cowfish

[usatennisfan]

I've been looking at one of these guys for a while but I would some information first.
First off, I've seen some conflicting information on size. One source said they stay small at about 5.5" and another source said they got up to 1' so a clear up on size would be appreciated.
Secondly, what kind of tank mates would be good, other aggressive fish or some semi-aggressive?
Lastly, what kind of care do these guys entail? I've never had a cowfish before but I am an experienced puffer keeper. I see some people out there say that stress can cause any cows to release toxins and kill anything and everything and other people say it ia complete hogwash. I realize that there may be some conflicting opinions on this and I don't mean to start anything betwixt people, I just want accurate information and as much experienced firsthand experience as possible.
Thanks,
-Stephen-

 

[AlexS95]

I only have the Longhorn Cow, and I took him out of my Aggressive(-ish) tank because he was being nippy with other fish and tried to take all the food from the Eel. I'm pretty sure he will get about 1' in the future, but I don't think the Thornback gets that big, so the 5" sounds right. They're slow swimmers so they don't want a lot of competition for food (I hand feed mine). And the toxin thing is BS, I know people who have had them die on them and nothing happens.

 

[usatennisfan]

That's what I thought too but I figured I would get some input.
Oh, and longhorns can get up to 18".

 

[AlexS95]

I've read that but I've never seen one anywhere near that big in captivity.

 

[fish stalker]

I've had long horn cowfish before that died and didn't wipe out the tank. I should add I run extra carbon in that tank, the dead fish wasn't in the tank for long and I did a 25% water change etc. I currently have a juvenile in a holding tank till it gets a bit bigger.