Pic of our pinnate batfish!

[muck]

A video of the squirt and hide would be tres funny.

[Ruth]

What cool looking fish these are! And very nice pictures as well. I know what you mean about dilema as well as I went through the same thing with my Moorish Idol. I didn't order it but got talked into trying it as I had a large system that at least stood a chance of getting it to survive. It almost didn't and I ended up switching tank but (crosses fingers for the 100th time) so far it is doing well and has been in my 190g for over a year.
Good luck with this guy as he grows.....and grows......

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Stunning. And daunting!

What happens when they mature? Do they elongate and develop a different sort of colouration?

Forgive the ignorant novice

[Diana]

That's ok, most people (including us, until we did some research) did not realize these guys changed as they mature.

They go from this:
http://villa-tropara.com/2005.8.20%20gazou.jpg
http://www.aquamarinediving.com/imag...ateBatfish.jpg

then to this:
http://www.vibrantsea.net/images/batfish6_floridas2.jpg

then to this:
http://www.gobroadreach.com/_resourc...05115512AM.jpg

and adult:
http://www.scuba-equipment-usa.com/m...x_pinnatus.jpg

The amount of time this takes is unkown to us but when we got our guy, he had a lot more black in the body and fins, so he is already maturing.

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Wow, that's very cool. Thanks for the reply

[Pan]

Originally Posted by Diana

haha.... dont remind me what they turn into! I'm hoping he will decide to stay young and pretty...

We've had him for over 2 months now and he's a real pig. It took a few days to get him eating Selcon enriched brine shrimp, but now he fights with our snowflake moray for krill. He'll eat anything we throw in there. Made quick work of our aptasia too. :P

It was a moral dilemma when purchasing this guy. We knew how hard they were to feed, how big they get, and what the success rate was in captivity, so we really didnt want to support the capture of these beautiful little fishies. But after seeing him at J&L we almost felt a need to "save" him since it was likely many of the hobbyests who would purchase him would not have the patience to get him eating. It took 2 days of me squirting a few brine shrimps in the tank every 10 minutes and then running to hide behind the couch so I didnt spook him.

I think the aptasia may have gotten his appetite going, though.


-Diana

everytime you "save" a fish the vendor buys another....

[Diana]

Originally Posted by Subdued

everytime you "save" a fish the vendor buys another....

We realize that... and honestly I've only ever seen two in the lower mainland, and one of those is ours. The other one came into J&L about a year ago. They rarely will bring one in, and we've expressed to them that they should not be ordered.

Its the same thing with any hard to keep fish. It comes down to a situation where either the fish has a high chance of dieing, or you purchase it and do your best, knowing that your care will be better than many others who would have bought it and thrown it in their tank with triggers and puffers.

Like I said, it was a moral dilemma. We try to be responsible hobbyists but it doesn't always work.

-Diana

[Joe Reefer]

Wow, I thought they looked the same when they matured. Nice fish BTW.

[Raf]

Thanks for the nice comments everybody!

Oh, and as for the squirt and run, I had a good laugh but unfortunately, no video. LOL!

[christyf5]

Originally Posted by Diana

That's ok, most people (including us, until we did some research) did not realize these guys changed as they mature.

They go from this:
http://villa-tropara.com/2005.8.20%20gazou.jpg
http://www.aquamarinediving.com/imag...ateBatfish.jpg

then to this:
http://www.vibrantsea.net/images/batfish6_floridas2.jpg

then to this:
http://www.gobroadreach.com/_resourc...05115512AM.jpg

and adult:
http://www.scuba-equipment-usa.com/m...x_pinnatus.jpg

The amount of time this takes is unkown to us but when we got our guy, he had a lot more black in the body and fins, so he is already maturing.

Thats crazy! I had no idea the first pic and the last pic were even the same fish! They really fill out while they grow.