Matted Filefish Experiences

[lkoechle]

We've noticed some aipstasia in our rocks, and I was thinking of adding a matted filefish as a cool animal to control these.  I do have zoas and palys and lps.   I'm not particularly protective of them (except for the acans).  I only have a little bit of aipstasia, but I don't know how much is buried in the rock work since I "adopted" this set up.  And I love unusual fish and a filefish most definitely fills the "unusual" definition.

My main concern of why not other known controllers is I've heard of peppermint shrimp really going after coral with a vengeance, so I'd like an animal less likely to do that and more likely to thrive (so ixnay on the erghiabay).  I could always manually control it, but where's the fun in that?

 

What are some other folks experiences with the  matted filefish?

 

 

[hoodle]

Well Berghia might be safer

[FollyFish]

I very briefly had one for several weeks. It never ate the aiptisia but enjoyed my LPS corals greatly. It died in a tank crash before I could rehome it. 

 

I had much better luck with two peppermint shrimps that I got afterward.

 

Overall my suggestion is better reefing through chemistry. 

[Mckinney0171]

my experience with filefish is they are not strong swimmers.  i had two of them get pulled into mp10's overnight.  at night they cling to things and apparently they struggle with high flow.  both of mine were great eaters and ORA fish from divers den.  healthy otherwise just not good swimmers.