Matted Filefish Acreichthys tomentosus

[JPotter]

I would love to have something that would enjoy my aptaisia! It is too bad they are not in fashion as a desirable anemone as then my tank would be hard to beat.

Peppermint shrimp 0 : aptaisia 10
CBB ) (dead) : aptaisia 10
Beghia (disappeared) : aptaisia 10

Is that a specific type of file fish and is it safe with corals and other anemones?

[Myka]

This Filefish is also known as a Bristletail Filefish, and are also known to readily devour Majanos. The nice thing about this particular Filefish is that it only grows to about 5", where some Filefish like the Tasseled Filefish grows over 12". I'm thinking of adding a Bristletail to my reef. I don't have Aiptasia or Majanos, I just think the fish is cool.

Emily and Tony, have you noticed your Filefish going after any corals, anemones (besides Majano), or clams? I have read lots about them, and they seem to be "generally reef-safe", but some have been known to take a liking to Zoas.

[Delphinus]

Mine lives in a tank with two carpets, two BTA's (one of which is particularly small still), uh, zoanthids, yellow polyps, Duncans, a green bubble coral .. uh .. hmm what else. A poci, some mushrooms, candycane ... I haven't noticed a decline in any of these. One thing on the other hand I have noticed less of is clove polyps but they were a pest encroaching on (and killing) my poci so I kind of didn't mind that (and didn't really question what might be the cause, so it could be coincidental).

[Delphinus]

I must say that I find this a very fascinating fish. He looks like leaf litter the way he just sort of hovers in one spot. You can be looking right at him and not know it. He looks like a fish who could not handle flow with those little bumblebee wing like fins and yet .. he has no trouble whatsoever remaining perfectly motionless despite currents washing in from the left, then a slack, then washing in from the right, then the back ... etc.

He is so amazingly adept at remaining motionless, and blending in, and hiding in holes, that I nearly never see him. Basically, at feeding time is the only time. I toss in mysis and poof, all of a sudden there is he, buzzing over to the mysis, catches his quota, then poof, he vanishes once again not to be seen until the next day's feed..

[Myka]

This is good to know, thanks Tony! I almost bought one today, but I can't decide between a Bristletail Filefish or a Multibarred Angel. Someone today told me his friend's Bristletail eats his BTA, and another friend's Multibarred Angel eats SPS. So now they both worry me.

[Myka]

Update: I did buy a Tasseled Filefish in November last year. Shortly after my many specie of brains started showing bite marks, I never saw F'ugly bite them though. I had just added an aggressive amount of Zeolites to the tank though, so I came to the conclusion that the damage was caused by too aggressively stripping nutrients from the tank. I removed the Zeolites, and the corals recovered for the most part. In the beginning of April I witnessed F'ugly biting the Symphyllia (not just a nip, he bit it 7 times in a row), and he also took to eating Zoas (Palys were fine). F'ugly ate 5 Zoa frags, and nearly wiped out 7 Zoa colonies before I caught him and banished him to the sump. He is now happily residing in a friend's SPS dominated tank.

[JPotter]

I have had one for several months now. The aptaisia are no long evident..occasionally I see a tiny one but soon disappears. I think if I banished the file fish the aptaisia would take over again It readily eats mysis and other frozen stuff. I have not seen it eat anything else but have to admit my zoas look pruned and certainly aren't spreading like they used to. I really don't want an aptaisia tank again.

[Aquattro]

I bought one of these on the weekend, and he was eating aiptasia within 30 seconds. Awesome little fish!