FISH OF THE WEEK ~ Matted Filefish~ (Known to eat Aiptaisia)

The Matted Filefish, often referred to as the Bristletail Filefish, is an attractive species that is well known for its ability to eliminate Aiptasia and Majano anemones. Matted Filefish also have the ability to camouflage themselves by shifting their mottled coloration, effectively blending into the rock rubble, seagrass, and shallow coral reefs throughout their Indo-West Pacific habitat. Matted Filefish are a gentle and peaceful species that generally prefers to investigate their aquarium while always on the lookout for snacks. Matted Filefish are quite popular in the hobby and are commonly available through online retailers; local vendors should be able to place a special order if they aren't in stock.

Matted Filefish require an aquarium of at least 30 gallons and require a sand to crushed-coral substrate in addition to plenty of live rock for grazing and shelter. Although they have proven to be a hardy species, they appreciate an established aquarium with stable water conditions as well as high quality, biological and mechanical filtration (including a protein skimmer). They will coexist peacefully with many other tank mates, but should not be housed with aggressive fish that may harass them or pick at the bristle-like spinules of maturing males. Although Matted Filefish will decimate and likely eradicate infestations of nuisance anemones, they have been known to nip at some coral polyps (e.g.; zoanthids and palythoas) and sessile invertebrates; they are also known to consume small crustaceans (including ornamental shrimp), bivalve mollusks, and polychaetes. They aren't considered to be reef friendly and would ideally be housed in a peaceful, community FOWLR system.

Matted Filefish are omnivores that mainly feed upon amphipods, bivalve mollusks, copepods, isopods, polychaetes, and various marine algae within their natural habitat. In an aquarium environment, they should be fed a variety of meaty food items such as live, frozen, freeze-dried, prepared, and vitamin enriched brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, krill, squid, crabmeat, clams, scallops, and marine algae. Feed multiple small meals (at least thrice) per day.

Matted Filefish are dimorphic egg-layers that have been reported to readily breed in an aquarium environment. A pair can generally be formed by simply introducing a male and female to an aquarium at the same time (the male can be identified by the presence bristle-like spinules); mature males will display retrorse spinules at roughly 2-3" and females will have developed eggs at 3". The Female will eventually lay around 300 adhesive eggs in a sheltered location on the substrate, which she will defend until they hatch a few day later. New fry can be fed a diet of Artemia nauplii and euryhaline rotifers for the first two weeks, after which they can be moved to mature Artemia Salina and juvenile-sized foods.


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Quick Facts :: Matted Filefish
Care Level:	Moderate
Temperament:	Peaceful
Maximum Size:	4"
Minimum Tank Size:	30 Gallons
Reef Compatible:	No - With Caution
Water Conditions:	72-80° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
Diet:	Omnivore
Origin:	Indo-West Pacific
Family:	Monacanthidae
Species:	Filefish
Aquarium Type:	Fish Only

Bad Snails ~ Keep Good Husbandry Practices

Bad Snails 

 

Many folks ask which snails are good for their tank.  The answer is what kind of tank do they have?  is it Freshwater or Saltwater?  How many gallons is the fish tank?  Some folks will also find themselves with snails that are not reef safe.  This list consists of snails aquarists should steer clear from.  In some cases folks simply have snails that shouldn't be in a reef tank because they are colder water or temperate species, or because they get too large.

• Flamingo Tongue - A beautiful snail that feeds solely on gorgonians.

• Bumble Bee Snail - Sold as a sand stirrer, it eats the micro fauna in your sand that makes it "live".

• Murex Snails - All of the snails in this family are predatory, and will feed on herbivorous snails, leaving your tank with algae.

• Ilynassa Obsoleta - a big seller on Ebay, as their colonies blanket the coasts of temperate shores. They are a colder water snail that scavenges and eats other snails and bivalves. They are also cannibalistic and are known carriers of parasites that can infect both fish and humans. If you have them, do not release them locally.

• Margarita Snails - this very popular snail's range does not extend into the tropics, and they will be stressed in normal reef tanks, because they are not built to tolerate reef temperatures. A good snail though if your tank rarely goes to 70 degrees, otherwise you will be slowly torturing them to death. They are excellent algae cleaners in a temperate tank, and a favorite among many hobbyists with cold water biotopes.

• Crown Conchs - A predatory snail that will eat other herbivorous snails, leaving your tank with algae. They are also cannibalistic. The largest online vendor has confused these with Fighting Conchs, and they have begun to give the correct species a bad name. 

• Queen Conchs - these herbivorous snails are great at first, but when they become close to 12 inches long, 4 inches tall, and 5 inches wide, they are just too big for most tanks, as they need a large amount of area to survive. At that size they also bulldoze most rock formations.

• Keyhole Limpets - Not all limpets are the same. Owning a limpet is like owning a snail, the species really matters. Many of the keyhole limpets are known predators, some of which feast on SPS coral.If you keep coral, only keep species limpets who are herbivorous. Not all keyhole limpets are predatory, but you should be wary when adding them to a tank without prior knowledge of their diet. 

• Olive Snails - These snails have been popping up in the hobby, and it is a shame. They are predatory, and feed on small bivalves, microfauna and other snails.They also scavenge, but they are opportunistic.

• Babylonian Snails - This cream and brown spotted snail makes an attractive addition to the tank, but are predatory and feed on bivalves and other snails. They are often mislabeled and sold as "Fancy Nassarius", or "Speckled Nassarius" snails, but they are not related to Nassarius spp. and are not safe for the reef aquarium.

While this list is not all of the species to aoid, but it is a list that continually grows.  Remember, most snails are predatory, and are not good candidates for an aquarium. If you collect locally please use a field guide to determine the species you catch, and its compatibility to the reef aquarium.





"Originally posted in part at www.ReefCleaners.org"

ANEMONE OF THE WEEK - Curly-Cue Anemone (Bartholomea annulata)

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The Curly-Cue Anemone is also commonly known as the Trumpet Anemone or Rock Anemone. They are found in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic Ocean, in calm shallow areas where they generally live solitary lives. The body is opaque amber with yellowish-white spots, while the tentacles vary from brown to brown/violet as they extend away from the body, and are translucent with spots. The Curly-Cue Anemone has long flowing tentacles, which are usually wrapped with light corkscrew markings. They Curly-Cue Anemone is a good addition for reef tanks where they can find a calm area along the live rock to situate themselves. They will usually stay in one place for long periods of time and do not do much moving. When disturbed the Curly-Cue will rapidly retract its tentacles becoming a very small ball. Be sure to have enough available space for the Curly-Cue Anemone to find a suitable spot that is not too close to any other coral or invertebrate inhabitants. The Curly-Cue Anemone prefers to live singularly in calm shallow water. In the aquarium environment they should be provided with protected areas of the floor where they can live partially hidden in the live rock or aquascaping. They prefer protected crevices or overhangs without direct waterflow. Also be sure that the Curly-Cue Anemone will be able to find a suitable location that is also away from other Anemones or Corals as they will need space between themselves and other species. The Curly-Cue Anemone is a carnivore and will eat most meaty foods including: fish, mussels, crustaceans and shrimp. They should be given high quality frozen meaty preparations or fresh marine shrimp, chopped fish or mussel. The Curly-Cue Anemone will also require supplements to do well in the aquarium environment, including Iodine and trace elements.ods such as frozen brine or mysis shrimp, mussels or pieces of fish. This species will also eat any foods that get by the fish in the aquarium, making them good for keeping the aquarium free of excess and decaying food stuffs.				Quick Facts :: Curly-Cue Anemone
Care Level:	Moderate
Temperament:	Aggressive
Maximum Size:	10"
Diet:	Carnivore
Aquarium Level:	All
Minimum Tank Size:	55 Gallons
Reef Compatible:	Yes
Water Conditions:	72-78� F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.020-1.025, pH 8.1-8.4
Supplements:	Iodine, Trace elements
Coloration:	Brown, Tan, Yellow, Orange
Origin:	Easteran Atlantic, Mediterranean
Family:	Aiptasiidae
Species:	Anemones

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