Harlequin Filefish (orange spotted filefish)

[animalmaster6]

I really think it's the two obvious challenges + one other thing.

 

#1. Still really tough to keep alive

#2. Compounded by not being exactly easy to get to breed (but I know at least Andy Berry had spawning)

#3. You actually have to try to rear them. I don't think Andy ever tried to rear them...not sure though.

 

As I reported at MACNA, after the CORAL article, I had some very promising runs, one of which I had 50+ babies alive at 5 weeks (which is generally the point at which I'd have ONE single survivor going all the way). Of course, failing rotifers and being on the road giving talks botched things up, and then we moved and I lost half of the spawning pair. So even I am having difficulty recreating my own success. I haven't had an actively spawning pair now for about a year, but I'm hopeful that this newer young pair will get their acts together.

Too bad, hopefully we can get some more success.

 

If they where tank breed for a couple generations, would you expect them to become reef safe. or would they still be limited to fish only.

Remember BItts, they aren't non reef-safe with all corals.

[Acropora12]

Matt your wealthof knowledge is outstanding on this subject. I am glad you talked me out of it and onto a much somewhat simpler breeding project. Just so everyone knows what it is I will be trying to be Greenbanded Gobies. I hope to attempt to keep these fish in the future, as for now I will let them stay in the hands of experts.

 

 

Two thumbs up to you Matt

for

 

#1) Helping me out

and

#2) Being a stand up guy about it.

 

 

Thanks again.

Kevin

[basser1]

Thumbs up to you for listening to good advice! So many times reefers will ask for help and will ignore any given to them. It can be frustrating to say the least!

[Acropora12]

I hear that. I just don't want to put such beautiful fish through my learning stage...it just wouldn't be right.

[mwp]

Remember BItts, they aren't non reef-safe with all corals.

 

I assume I'm reading that right I concur...I term this species "Somewhat" Reef Safe. Afterall, they're GOING to nip at SPS, that's a given as it's their natural diet. In a big enough, or even a smaller SPS tank, they DO seem to work though. You just lose polyp extension in the daylight hours on the things they pick at. Sadly, they won't touch Anemones (one of my earlier hopes was maybe they'd take down Aiptasia) but they WILL pick at a fair number of LPS (i.e. Acans and Blastos), and there you have issues. All of that said, If you first train them onto prepared foods, it's been my experience that they actually prefer to eat them over living stuff. Thus, a filefish that is well trained and solidly on prepared foods, and is fed several times a day in the reef, will be a relatively model citizen. Conversely, an untrained or underfed Harlequin File is going to go after things. Side Note - I think a lot of the "nipping" problems people have in reefs are not from fish that "have a taste" or have just "gone rogue"...no I think these nipping problems oftentimes stem from our general conventional wisdom to feed a reef tank lightly or infrequently in order to keep down organic waste. In other words, the fish are on a constant "diet", and they're HUNGRY. Of course, they're more apt to turn on things and taste them!!!

 

 

Matt your wealthof knowledge is outstanding on this subject. I am glad you talked me out of it and onto a much somewhat simpler breeding project. Just so everyone knows what it is I will be trying to be Greenbanded Gobies. I hope to attempt to keep these fish in the future, as for now I will let them stay in the hands of experts.

 

GBG's were my first marine success. Harder than clownfish, and harder than Neon Gobies. But they are obviously doable. The big secret was utilizing T-Iso for greenwater. Nowadays, I suspect you might be able to use the new RotiGrow products (recently wrote up "part 1" of a 2 part article on reef builders...). I'm firmly convereted to "pastes" now vs. live algae and I used to be a huge advocate of live algae...I thought it was better and cheaper. When I really looked at it, NO WAY. I'm sure there's still times it will be called for, but I don't know when those times are yet.

 

 

Two thumbs up to you Matt

for

 

#1) Helping me out

and

#2) Being a stand up guy about it.

 

As I've said privately, and others have said here, thank YOU for being willing to take the "unsolicited" advice. Sometimes people forget that if you're talking publicly, you may get unsolicited advice and it may not be what you wanted to hear. Having the maturity to digest and see where it's coming from is greatly appreciated. I'm much more apt to think you'll be ready for a harlequin filefish project "sooner" than later, largely because of your willingness to acknowledge your experience level and thus, possible limitations. BRAVO, and let me know the moment you have those GBG's going!

 

Matt

[Acropora12]

will do matt! I have to get the tank up and going and cycled should have the project underway by november...so excited for this endevour!

[animalmaster6]

Glad to see your taking on Greenbanded's before Harlequins.

[Uhuru]

thought you guys might like reading this, even though its about a different obligate coralivore

 

http://glassbox-design.com/2010/obligate-c...vore-captivity/

[Ncfishguy]

Bump

[jedimasterben]

Bump

Did you seriously just bump a five year old thread?

[filefishfinatic]

bump