Matted Filefish Acreichthys tomentosus

[soapy]

Originally Posted by EmilyB

Sweet !! It does take a while for the little ones to get going I'm thinking. Do you think we will have a problem when they don't have any more aip to eat?

No problem if the aiptasia run out, they will just start in on your soft corals...

;-)

[Delphinus]

The thought occurred to me too that I wonder what he'll move onto when the aiptasia is all gone. However, mine eats mysis (in fact, it's the only time I see him: about 30 seconds each day - I put in the mysis, he materializes out of nowhere, chases down each mysis shrimp, zip, zap, zot .... and then poof, disappears again. I can't believe how good he is at camoflaging and hiding). So hopefully that will be good enough to keep him placated..

[EmilyB]

Yah, mine is a mysis pig as well, and I have lots of soft coral for him to eat, zoos etc. so he should be okay. Very cool fish.

[nanmer]

Tony, can you please get your fish to forward the email to my file fish? I ran out the next day, after reading the start of this thread, and bought one from Colby. He does not seem to eat the nems at all. He is however one of the happiest little additions to my tank. He ate out of my hand right from the day I got him. He is always waiting for someone to visit him through the glass and gets all excited when someone pays mind to him. Perhaps one day he may grow up and get a job eating nems. For now he is content on being waited on. OMG I think I bought a teenager!!!! (except the fish is happy and the teen is not)

[EmilyB]

Just wanted to update.

I started feeding some marine cuisine, at first he only went after the mysis bits, but by the third feeding was eating all the red bits too !

Now he even eats prime reef flake.

Oh, and zoos !

[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.