NEWS104
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Alutherus scriptus
,male.This speciesgrows tomore thanameter longand is the largest filefish.
have all been eaten. Because the totally
eradicationof these survival specialists can
be achieved onlywith difficulty, the filefish
needs tobe returned to the reef aquarium
from time to time. So it is definitely not a
good idea to give it away after the first
plaguehasbeeneliminated.
The Harlequin Filefishes - the loveliest of
themall
Only a few of the roughly 100 filefish
species currentlyknownarenoted for their
bright coloration. But there are two
exceptions: the Harlequin Filefishes
Such acclimated fishesmay even spawn in
the aquarium. But difficult species like this
are best reserved for specialistswho know
precisely what they are letting themselves
in for.Because,as alreadymentioned, these
fishesarecommonandwidespread,it isn’ta
problem to import themwhen required.
The Scribbled Filefish - the largest of
themall
The majority of tropical filefishes remain
manageably small and can be purchased
without toomuch thought as longasa fish
tank is available, because the main
distribution of the somewhat larger
filefishes lies insubtropicalwaterswhereno
exportation for the aquarium hobby takes
place. Here the fishes are so common that
they are even caught as food. While the
majority of the members of the puffer
assemblage mentioned earlier are deadly
poisonous when consumed, this doesn’t
apply to the filefishes. At least not inmost
cases. As the Scribbled Filefish (
Alutherus
scriptus
), a species distributed worldwide
throughout the tropicsandwhichcangrow
up to 110 cm long, sometimes takes its
revengeonpeoplewhoeat it via ciguatera
poisoning. This can arise through the
consumptionof otherwisenon-toxic fishes
if thepoison fromanalgahasaccumulated
in their flesh. But aquarists don’t normally
eat their pets, of course. It is nevertheless
important tobe familiarwith theScribbled
Filefish inordertoavoidaccidentallybuying
it asadaintyyoungster.The longcaudal fin
makes the species easy to recognize. In
public aquaria, however, the Scribbled
Filefish is,ofcourse,a realeye-catcher,as it is
very attractively colored. The species
presents no difficulties as regards feeding,
as it isa ratheropportunisticomnivore.
TheBlackbarFilefish-themost interesting
of themall for thehobby?
This filefish species, correctly termed
Pervagor janthinosoma
, is again widely
distributed in the Indo-Pacific. It toogrows
toonlyaround12-14cm long.TheBlackbar
Filefish is significantly more aggressive
towards conspecifics than the previously
mentioned species, which can readily be
housedwithconspecifics,and in thecaseof
Oxymonacanthus longirostris
isgorgeous,but suitableonly for experts.
(
Oxymonacanthus longirostris
and
O. halli
).
Thetwospecies looksosimilarthatuntil the
1950s they were thought to be a single
species. Only then was it realized that the
HarlequinFilefishes from theRedSeawere
different to those from the Indo-Pacific,and
theywere described as
O. halli
. Both these
speciesareagaincommonandwidespread
and grow to only 10-12 cm long, but
unfortunately
they
cannot
be
recommended for the marine hobby in
general. They are extreme trophic
specialiststhat feedexclusivelyonpolypsof
the stony coral genus
Acropora
in thewild.
In addition these fishes are sociable, such
that specimens kept singlywasteaway. It is
in fact possible to get Harlequin Filefishes
used tosubstitute foods (E.Thalermanaged
itwith frozenglassworms,whichsheplaced
in dead
Acropora
branches using forceps).
