baby box fish at Big al's

[blood_hound]

Originally Posted by DJ88

cowfish aren't as likely to have a toxin as a regular boxfish. I think the only documented occassion this has happened was written by Bob Fenner and I haven't heard any since or even prior..

Happen to me before I had it 3 months ago in a 29 gallon tank because it is growing fast i decided to move my cowfish to a bigger tank 60 gallon which i cycle for a month ....the next day I found it dead and all of its tank mate.

I am not sure why my cowfish died but one thing I am sure off is that
cowfish is as toxic as other boxfish.

[DJ88]

Originally Posted by Willow

what happaned darren did you get canned from rc, is that why you are back with us lonely ol' peeps?

Far from it. But I don't see how that is of any of your concern. I'd tell my friends things that transpire in my life online and offline. I don't see you being one of those so what happens in my life is my business.

But I guess when one can't carry on a discussion. They take a shot..

Cheers Willow..

[Snappy]

I had my cowfish get sucked up & stuck against the powerhead. I am not sure how long it was there before I pulled it off but I figure it was probably quite stressed. No ill effects to the tank so far.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

So Adidas,

Did you break down & get a longhorn cowfish? They are cute. Too bad they're not reef-safe.

Darren,

Do a search on wetwebmedia & you will see lots of people who had their tanks wiped out by dying cowfish. Yes, cowfish are less toxic & less likely to exude Ostracitoxin than boxfish but there is still a risk, as these people found out. I'm glad that you & your friends had good luck with stressed out & dying cowfish without triggering this extreme reaction. My position is "why take a chance?" If I had a dying or stressed out cowfish, I would take it out just in case. I thought it would be prudent to mention this risk for those who are interested.

As for the LFS incident, the owner tried moving the fish that were still alive into other tanks & containers but eventually they still succumbed. That was a boxfish, not a cowfish, that died originally.

Anthony

[OCDP]

Originally Posted by DJ88

But I guess when one can't carry on a discussion. They take a shot..

hahah . the truth .

[Tarolisol]

I had a box fish die in one of my tanks a while back and it had no ill effects. And It never bothered any corals, so im not sure why they arnt called reef safe also it never hurt a crab or shrimp either.

[adidas]

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

So Adidas,

Did you break down & get a longhorn cowfish? They are cute. Too bad they're not reef-safe.

Anthony

If my tank was cycled completely i would. i'm going to big al's in a bit, wonder if they are still there

[bulletsworld]

Wow, you guys have to lighten up.


The names cowfish, boxfish, and trunkfish are often used interchangeably. Whatever name you want to use, they all have the ability to release Ostracitoxin. So yes, there is "THE RISK", which most people are afraid to take. But will it wipe out your whole tank, most likely not. There are very few cases of it happening but again they do have the ability, so thats why it’s still considered to be a risk to great for some hobbiest to chance.

I have treated others boxfish/cowfish and house these fish as well and over the years I have never had one release Ostracitoxin.

There are many more reasons besides THE RISK, that many people are warned off these fish but they were not mentioned but should be considered. Reasons below are:

1. They grow fairly large quickly. Example full grow the long horned cowfish & Ostracion cubicus.aka yellow boxfish can reach up to 18 inches The only one I have found not commonly collected is the Helmet Cowfish that grows to only 4-5inchs fully grown.

2. They can't go in BB tanks. Cowfish, as with other boxfish, uncover their meals of crabs and shrimps by blowing jets of water into the sand with their mouths. (Very cool to watch)

3. NOT Reef-safe. They will eat inverts (crabs, shrimp, etc) when older. When small at pet store their mouth is way to small to try to eat inverts, although I have experienced them try, they do little to no damage when small.

4. They don't do well in a tank that’s heavily stocked or with fast moving fish (i.e tangs, wrasse, etc) Never put a cleaner wrasse with a boxfish/cowfish as they hate them being near them. In the wild they are loner fish and keep to their selves. They are also slow swimmers, so not able to move fast to get out of the way of fast moving fish. They tend to be easy target to get bullied as well.

5. They can't be in a tank with heavy water flow, (power heads) Although Their unique method of swimming, called ostraciform swimming, causes them to look as if they are hovering but cowfish/boxfish do not swim well and would get blown around in to heavy of flow. They get easily exhausted, as stressed again they are not good swimmer.

But Cowfish, Boxfish are one of my favorite fish and under the right tank conditions I would recommend them to anyone. They one of the most interesting fish to watch, not to mention they are extremely smart & very personable fish. As they will spend most of their time watching to see what your doing with their marble blue/green eyes.