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View Full Version : Oxymonacanthus longirostris (Orange Spotted Filefish)


Psyire
05-16-2013, 02:37 AM
So I've seen this fish in various stores from time to time but never bought one due to having read that they are very hard to keep. Well I couldn't pass up the 2 that were available in a store last week, they both looked quite healthy and active. After doing much more research I was able to get both of them eating pellets on day 2, and now they are really chowing down on them as opposed to just 'picking' for the first few days. I've now had them for 7 days and they are doing very good, stomachs are plump and they are not intimidated in any way by my other fish. I'm hoping I'll be able to ween them onto frozen food, but no luck so far. They also won't eat pellets out of the water column, so I have to put them onto the rocks for them to pick at.

They pretty much spend all day hovering around the rocks and picking on algae and probably small pods too. I didn't know how to sex them at the store so I ended up with 2 males but they seem to be getting along just fine. All in all, so far I'm really happy with these fish.

Psyire
05-16-2013, 02:44 AM
http://www.elusivephotons.com/misc/aquarium/OSFF_1.jpg

Myka
05-16-2013, 02:53 AM
That's great you have been able to get them to eat, that's the part that makes them difficult. They also have a tendency to suddenly go downhill out of nowhere (maybe because of unnatural diet?). They are certainly very beautiful fish.

George
05-16-2013, 04:55 AM
Nice looking OSFF. Keep feeding them as much as they can eat. They look a little thin (shoulder area is where fish store their fat). They should fat up in no time if they are eating.

FWC
05-16-2013, 05:29 AM
Nice !! I saw that pair week, and was really debating getting one, however every fish I have bought from that store has had velvet, and as such I would rather burn my money then run the risk of dealing with velvet again :)

All velvet aside, congrats on the fish !! I love OSF and my female I had was a charm, ate flakes and whatnot and was overall a perfect fish. Out of interest, how did you get them feeding, just by dropping pellets onto the rocks, or by "pasting" them over the rock ?? Also what size/brand of pellets ??

Skimmerking
05-16-2013, 04:14 PM
sweet score mango. those are SPS eaters and love to eat the polyops of the SPS. that is their diet. I think Steve Sphelps had one to try out in his tank.. he loved the fish too. if you have them eating other foods that is awesome. maybe try brine and blood worms

naesco
05-16-2013, 06:08 PM
Oxymonacanthus longirostris (Bloch & Schneider 1801), the Harlequin Filefish or Orange Spotted Filefish in the aquarium interest. The most commonly offered member of the family... and rarely alive for more than a week in captivity. In the wild almost only eats Acropora polyps.

The above is from wetwebmedia.com. I think it also appears in Fenners book "the Conciencious Aquarist"

In my opinion this is one fish that should never be imported but should be left in the ocean.
The LFS is not doing a good service to our hobby by doing so.

I agree with the earlier poster that the fish are thinning.

Please let us know your success or failure of keeping this fish.


Wayne

andestang
05-16-2013, 07:43 PM
I really like these fish. I just was reading a thread on RC on how someone was/what feeding them. He was having good success with a certain dry food. Search for the thread and I'll see if I can find it again. Good luck with them.

ScubaSteve
05-16-2013, 08:14 PM
This is pretty cool. Good work so far. Let see if we all can't help you be successful.

There is a great article here on getting picky angels to eat (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=2597). The guy who wrote the article has weened some of the most difficult fish (mostly angels) to frozen using this technique. Basically the idea is to make a mush for foods and then freeze it onto whatever the fish normally eats. For instance he froze it onto empty clam shells; naturally, the fish would pick at it and start to eat. As the frozen food thawed, it would start to float into the water column and eventually they'd get used to eating right out of the water column during normal feeding time. I used the same trick to get my Potter's Wrasse to start eating and now have the fat bastard fully trained onto frozen. There is a famous collector in China who uses the same technique to acclimate all of his rare angels (like the $1000+ kind).

I wonder if you could try the same trick with bare/dead acropora skeletons until they get used to frozen?

Psyire
05-20-2013, 09:34 PM
Thanks for the comments! So far I'm having some good luck with these two, they are eating NLS pellets and Fauna Marin Pellets. They also started eating Cyclopeeze out of the water column yesterday, so that's awesome. I've noticed they are starting to grab the odd pellet out of water column as well, but for the most part I have to put the pellets onto the rocks so they can peck them off. If I don't do this my other fish usually end up with the pellets as they are so used to feeding this way they are better at it than the filefish.

I would agree that these fish may not belong in a LFS, BUT one could say that about a lot of fish in the stores.. The fact that there are numerous reports of people having these fish live years in their aquariums tells me it's possible for some people. Much like a Copper Band or Moorish Idol I suppose, to the credit of the LFS, they did have 'expert only' listed beside these guys. 12 days and going strong..

Thanks for the tips on how to get these guys eating, I'm definitely willing to try anything. Ideally I'd like them to be eating Pellets, PE Mysis, and Cyclopeeze as these are the mainstay's of my aquarium. (all out of the water column) I'm close but definitely not out of woods as they are not putting on weight very fast, but I'm confident it will come.

Psyire
05-20-2013, 09:45 PM
I should mention that their tank mates include:

Amphiprion ocellaris (Clownfish)
Pseudochromis aldabraensis (Neon Dottyback)
Centropyge bispinosa (Coral Beauty Dwarf Angelfish)
Pseudocheilinus hexataenia (Sixline Wrasse)
Pterapogon kauderni (Banggai Cardinalfish)
Chromis viridis (Blue/Green Chromis)

They all get along great with the Coral Beauty being the Boss man. There is very little aggression in the tank. The only thing I've noticed is that the slightly bigger filefish lets the smaller one know it's the boss once in a while. Usually during feeding, or just after. (minor chasing)

What's very interesting is that the Chromis is almost always hanging out with them. I think he think's they are strange cousins from the other side of the family. haha

Proteus
05-20-2013, 10:37 PM
Sitting in on this. Amazing fish.

More pics too !!!

sunoka
05-21-2013, 06:13 PM
I really hope you have success with your new additions...I had a lot of Nay Sayers when I got my cleaner wrasse people told me I don`t have a chance in a 25 gal tank with this fish....well 6 years later still going strong. Best of luck

michika
05-22-2013, 02:22 PM
If you're over on RC at all do a bit of searching, I remember at least two people keeping OSFF in the long term in tanks, one reef, one not.

Awesome find though and well done on getting them to accept the pellet and cyclopeeze

Psyire
05-25-2013, 09:28 PM
Thanks!

I uploaded a video of them pecking pellets off the rocks.

http://www.elusivephotons.com/misc/aquarium/OSFF_VID.avi

Psyire
06-01-2013, 03:49 AM
Update time..

A few days ago both fish decided that Xenia was tasty, so they are no relentlessly eating it! I don't mind because I had so much in the tank. (see video) So now their bellies are super fat every day. They still haven't started eating anything other than the pellets and cyclopeeze. At least the Xenia is supplementing their diet in some fashion, no idea how nutritious it is though..

Oh and both Males still get along just fine and are doing great.