Tassled Filefish, Behavior
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Behavior
Nothing special - the drab colored fish, but it makes you smile, when you remember it.
Sometimes, when the human face is close above the rim of the tank, watching something without paying attention to the filefish, the Fuzzy starts spitting water in the face of the watcher, trying to get attention (could be - to drive away, but it's too peaceful and playful fish for this). Spits with quite good precision.
About precision: this fish has very good eye sight, and, when small, moves very fast and catches what it wants with absolute precision. When it grows, I have the impression that it is still not accustomed to such a big body, even a year later, and misses a lot.
If you want to see this fish active, give it a feeder shrimp to catch: it will be quite a performance. It rushes so fast, without seeing anything else around, from one end of the tank to another (4 ft) in maybe 3 seconds. Loudly closing mouth every time, when it misses.
Mmmm, about loud splashing and loud closing the mouth: sometimes the other fish in the tank, all ranging from 1/4 to 1/20 of Fuzzy's body mass, ducks. The newcomers behave, as if they are screaming: "Oh my God! What was that?". Not a paradise for them, as you can see, even with a harmless fish. But during the feeding time, they are gorging in the clouds of pulverized food. The life could be good.
Another way to provide entertainment for it, is to make some space and view, worth to look at (window, wall, TV), or some kind of moving target - in my case, the pieces, moving inside transparent battery operated gravel cleaner. Fish tries to catch them. If you find another way of making the life of this fish worth of living it, let us know.
The fish is delicate (despite the prickly name), sensitive, easily alarmed, tries to hide whenever possible, even if there are not too much places for that: camouflaging with the rock under Kenya tree, in the cave, under an overhang, behind the plastic basket handle (the fish is quite flattened from the sides), behind itself or, if everything else fails, bursts away, like today, when not so familiar photographer moved slightly faster than was expected, near the tank. I have a bad feeling, that one day Fuzzy forks itself on the lion's spines... Try to provide the safe environment with a lot of large hiding places.
Top level inhabitant, if it has no hiding places, just stays at the top, without moving much. Tries to use filters, powerheads or even the own back to hide behind it.
When it has caves, vertical stones, terrace or overhang - will hide there, when you come close, unless it's feeding time.
The feeding time is expected with excitement: it patrols the front glass, questioningly looking at passing humans: When, at last? Eats from hands, choosing one piece and rejecting another from the same batch.
This is a messy eater: the spitting fish, that chews, spits, chooses some piece from spitted cloud, and eats it (or not). But even during that it looks adorable - most lovable creature by nature. After feeding comes "home" to have a nap.
If you hide, becoming invisible for the tank inhabitants - it will freely swim from one end of the tank to another, checking what is there interesting in the live rock, nibbling here and there.
Or bursts by one fins movement, as a bullet, in the opposite end of tank. As grows, splashes over the edge of tank during that, a lot.
Part of time swims with top fin exposed to the air, but it doesn't bother it:
Netting
Be careful, when moving fish from tank to tank, the tassels (skin flaps) could be damaged, if the net is large-celled. Some recommend to use the bucket instead of net, some - the transparent plastic bag. We (I'm working not alone, especially when catching the stubborn fish) moved Fuzzy only once, from 20g XH tank to 90g. The fish behaved, as if it expected the immediate death.
Had to remove (slowly) all rock, smaller fish and use the piece of mesh fabric, cut to the size of the whole bottom of the tank, with cords, tied to the each of the corners. Two people slowly put this under the fish, and slowly lifted all this up, together with the fish. Immediately placed fish into the plastic container with water and go with this to another floor, where the big tank was.
"Biting"
Beware, this fish will make unexpected pinches at the soft, light colored part of the forearm in the tank, when you are looking away. Not really biting - the filefish's teeth are for nibbling, not for biting or chewing. But unexpected pinch could make you jump and loudly express yourself.
The fish will do the same to a light-colored filter bag, attached to the battery gravel cleaner, or to the bottom of the light-grey plastic cup, it's more a matter of color, than a live flesh preference.
By the way, don't give it pieces that are too big, it can't bite or chew them, and will have to excrete them in one piece.
On the bright side:
at any age, of any size, this still the best fish friend, good-natured, attentive and high spirited.
Next page: Growth rate and the tank size