Will this fish fit into my set-up?
I'd like to add a Tasselled filefish to my 300 l reef tank but I want to make sure it won't get picked on or nipped by my other fish. I have a Yellow tang, Blue star damselfish, a pair of Black clowns, a Royal gramma and a Yellow-headed jawfish. The damsel hasn’t given any of the other residents any trouble so far, but it’s been resident for five months now, so I don’t know how it will respond to the filefish. The corals are mainly soft and leathers with some polyps and Pulsing xenia. The tank was set up about 14 months ago and I’ve had no real problems except for some algae in the early weeks. Would this introduction work or not? MATT, VIA EMAIL
JEREMY SAYS: I wouldn’t recommend it – while often sold at a small size, Tasselled filefish,
Chaetodermis penicilligerus, can grow to 30cm in length so would need a tank of 600 l long term. But even then they will nip at soft corals and probably devour your xenia.
They’d actually be fine with the fish you've listed but are better housed in large macroalgae-filled tanks with other curious fish species that won't outcompete them. They can be fed on meaty foods like cockle, mussel, clams, squid, krill, prawns and chopped fish. But this is not a fish to mix corals with I'm afraid, even tougher corals like yours.
The term ‘filefish’ refers to the rough sandpapery skin of these fish, which is caused by the presence of small spines protruding from the scales.