me and my wife would like to get a Harlequin Filefish but most people feel its unethical to keep such a fish given its apparently extremly hard to feed.. Some people say that with the avaliblty of many specialized foods and vitamin supp. that marine enthusiasts have never had better chance of suscess with this fish..How do yall feel? has anyone had any experience with one????? if so how diff. was it to feed??? I dont wanna be selfish and find this fish and buy it because of its beauty to have it die...thanks
it lasted 6 months, he even had a tank setup for it before he bought it.
he filled the tank full of the corals they liked and bought the little guy online. he says the reason it didnt live is that he got it to starved, i think hes full of poo and never had enough coral in the first place.
do u know what kinda corals he had? did u ever get to see the fish? full of poo or not it does seem like this fish requires a lot of attention and dedication. my other issue is id like to have corals and fish and dont want to particularly put a fish in my tank thats going to destroy or eat my corals, i was reading however that the fish will eat the polyps of various species of hard corals. the only hard coral i have right now is an extremely large elegance coral which i doubt he'll eat considering he'd get stung.
brown horrible colored ones. but his food bill was outrageous. i never met the fish personally but i did see the tank after the fish died. made for a hideous tank!
the main staple of most filefish is coral. Therefore you either have to buy coral to keep them alive which gets pricy very quick or they will die. If you want to buy coral for them to eat then go for it, but it doesn't sound like you do.
Hope this isn't too late. I've kept a harlequin filefish before. They are reasonably hardy, but the food can be confusing. I used to purchase baby brine shrimp and soak it in garlic extract and vitamins. They used to feed like cra with peaceful tankmates. We have clownfish and a baby moorish idol. They all have striking colours and have unique personalities. The filefish also likes a tank decorated with corals as this simulates his natural environment. After a while he fed on finely chopped frozen food. An amazing fish that is a novelty to keep. Don't listen to those who say he is extremely hard to keep. Good water quality and vitamin-enhanced food are great for this fish.
Just to show you how easy he is to keep, this is the first tank i have ever had.(Breaking all of the rules)
Hope this isn't too late. I've kept a harlequin filefish before.
before what?
They are reasonably hardy, but the food can be confusing. I used to purchase baby brine shrimp and soak it in garlic extract and vitamins. They used to feed like cra with peaceful tankmates. We have clownfish and a baby moorish idol.
How big is your tank? A moorish idol needs about 150 gallons. How long have you had it?
They all have striking colours and have unique personalities. The filefish also likes a tank decorated with corals as this simulates his natural environment. After a while he fed on finely chopped frozen food. An amazing fish that is a novelty to keep. Don't listen to those who say he is extremely hard to keep. Good water quality and vitamin-enhanced food are great for this fish.
Just to show you how easy he is to keep, this is the first tank i have ever had.(Breaking all of the rules)
I would think its pretty hard. Go look at blue zoo they actaully call and speak to the people buying the fish to make sure they are aware of how much work it can be. It may not be hard its you just really need to be on your game with it. They sell them with a brown acro. Paying for overnight shipping everytime you need food for this thing can get exlensive unless you have a lfs that keeps them stocked
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
The Reef Tank
2.7M posts
79.2K members
Since 2000
A forum community dedicated to reef aquarium owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about flora, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!