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View Full Version : Cow fish help

SleepyPirate
06-23-2011, 10:12 PM
Interested in purchasing a cow fish, anyone have problems or any information on them? They look very cool!
bkelly
06-23-2011, 10:57 PM
they get ich bad, and easily stuck to powerheads then too weak and die. Otherwise very enjoyable fish, wouldnt recommend them though.
Flash
06-23-2011, 11:11 PM
or the fact they can wipe out an enitre tank with it's toxins! lol
naesco
06-23-2011, 11:18 PM
They grow to 18 inches. How big is your tank?
SleepyPirate
06-24-2011, 12:31 AM
Ok What?> toxins ich and cant swim away from powerheads... my tanks 90 g
whats this toxins stuff! I can handle loosing a fish but not an entire tank.
globaldesigns
06-24-2011, 12:57 AM
check this link out:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+24+68&pcatid=68
Chris S
06-26-2011, 02:39 AM
They are said to be toxic, but I've seen many die with no ill-effects on the other inhabitants. I'm thinking it may more likely be something released due to predation, rather than disease, malnutrition, etc.
Magma
06-26-2011, 02:50 AM
They look cute when they are small but like its been said before they get sick, or stuck and the toxins can nuke a tank if they are released..

IMO one of the fish best left to sea
freezetyle
06-26-2011, 03:41 AM
They grow to 18 inches. How big is your tank?

+1

If "George" is still in the tanks at elite aquatics on macleod it might be good to go see how big he is. that and they really like to spit water at things, so depending on how high above the lights are on your tank that could cause a problem
Axeman
06-26-2011, 11:26 PM
or the fact they can wipe out an enitre tank with it's toxins! lol



The toxins are only pproduced by members of the genus lactophrys, cowfish are of the genus lactoria and have not been shown to have a toxin In them. I'd put my money on all of anecdotal reports of a cowfish death resulting In a tank crash being the result of the cowfish being mpre sensitive to some toxin in the tank and simply dieing before the other in habitants.
I've had a longhorn cowfish in my tank for 3 months now and he's managed to survive a tank move, several aquascapes and me leaving the lights on for 72 hours. Can anyone show any studies showing cowfish containing toxins?
Magma
06-27-2011, 12:19 AM
the genus might be different but they still fall within the same family which is Ostraciidae, found an article about it. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/146/3641/244.abstract

Also read that the fish must be alive to produce this toxin, so if it dies before producing the toxin, it wont be released into the tank.
Axeman
06-29-2011, 06:54 PM
the genus might be different but they still fall within the same family which is Ostraciidae, found an article about it. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/146/3641/244.abstract

Also read that the fish must be alive to produce this toxin, so if it dies before producing the toxin, it wont be released into the tank.

That paper you quote says nothing about cowfish, only trunk fish. Same family, different genus and species. Until someone can post a study showing that members of the genus Lactoria or Acanthostracion produce toxins its just heresay.
Coleus
06-29-2011, 07:54 PM
my experience with cow fish poisonous is when i bought a cow fish and emperor angel at the same time and then put them in a bucket and acclimate them. 30 minutes later, i found my emperor angel is dead so i was scare to put the cow fish in to my main tank. So I put air pump into the bucket and set up a quarantine tank for cow fish. 1 hour later, found it dead also with the white stuff in the water.