NEWS104
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t was this dentition and above all the
associated feeding habits that first
brought the filefishes to the attention of
marine aquarists, as some species are
especially fond of consuming the “glass
roses”(
Aiptasia
) that are suchanuisance in
the coral-reef aquarium. However, these
filefish species are not trophic specialists.
The species currently most frequently
offered for combating
Aiptasia
is
Acreichthys tomentosus
,whichhas become
sopopular that it has acquired awhole set
of common names – Aiptasia-Eating
Filefish,Bristletail Filefish,MattedFilefish.
The Bristletail Filefish - themost popular
of themall
This species is a very common and
widespread fish. It occurs in large parts of
the western Indo-Pacific and received its
scientificnameback in1758 fromthe father
of zoological nomenclature,Carl vonLinné.
With amaximum size of 12 cm (aquarium
specimens, which are known to live
considerably longer than those living in the
wild,may perhaps grow somewhat larger),
it is ideally suited to aquarium
maintenance. Like almost all members of
I
thepuffergroup,theBristletailFilefish isnot
an active swimmer and hence doesn’t
require much swimming space. Its
coloration is such that it may easily be
overlooked. As can be seen from the
photos, it usually comes inassorted shades
of brown and gray. But anyonewho takes
the time to observe these fishes more
closely will find that they are capable of
rapid, mood-dependent changes of color,
and that immediately makes them more
maintenance in the coral-reef aquarium is
only sometimes possible, as there are
considerable differences in the habits of
individuals. The ideal is to have a fish-only
tank available aswell as the reef aquarium,
so that the
Acreichthys tomentosus
can be
transferred to the formerwhen the
Aiptasia
Juvenile
Acreichthys tomentosus
areexceptionallydainty.
Acreichthys tomentosus
,adult specimen.
interesting. They can even turn bright
green!
The Bristletail Filefish is very fondof eating
Aiptasia
, but will often also consume other
sessile invertebrates. Hence long-term
