Tassled filefish - Compatibility
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Compatibility
This filefish doesn't attack or harass tankmates, but they have to get out of the way of 4x-20x larger fish.
Mombasa and, before that, volitan lionfish, disagrees with that, yet sometimes just give up the place and not argue with a large clumsy fool. This behavioral pattern repeats from one lionfish to another, and I feel that, despite of theoretical compatibility, it will be better to keep them in the separate tanks.
Potentially incompatible small sharpnosed valentini puffer, that could bite off the "tassels", in my tank is the most considerate tankmate and a model citizen. Sometimes he swims past Fuzzy at his place and is ignored, sometimes Fuzzy faces him and makes a forward movement, like saying: "Shoo, shoo!". And puffer goes away without expressing any displeasure.
But again, for the sake of the puffer - the most graciously behaving fish - it would be better to keep them in different tanks. No problems from lion to puffer.
Percula Clown is too busy grooming the rock and driving chromises away. No attention from Fuzzy side too, quite mild fish.
Generally, the spheres of influence are divided, and each is busy with their own business.
The tank has hermit crabs: maroon, zebra and big and small blue-legged. No interest from the Fuzzy side, same for the astrea and turbo snails, and before that to sea urchin, cowry and porcelain crab.
The blood shrimp is always in the same tank, 1.5 yr already, and another blood shrimp - for more than half of year. No troubles from Fuzzy's side, quite opposite: the blood shrimps were chosen by all the fish of the tank as cleaners, despite the cleaner wrasse being for a half of year at beginning in the same tank.
On the left is shown the sequence of cleaning (the rare case, when I had the camera with me in time):
- Approaching in a peaceful humble pose, coming close to the cave entrance.
- Shrimp almost always runs forward, when fish approaches in such pose. Starts to check the filefish body.
- Hanging on the side.
- End of the procedure: filefish moves out, the second, newer blood shrimp, at last becomes brave.
The tassled filefish has a sensitive skin. If the blood shrimp with its tiny pincers touches too crudely, the Fuzzy sharply jerks away, freeing itself. That may repeat a few times, without success.
With corals
In the same tank with filefish, some time or another, are housed the corals (LPS and softies). Some were sampled after initial introduction, then the interest was lost, anyway, no major harm was done. Only one requirement - the corals have to be secured very well. The powerful touch or nibbling of the big fish is almost comparable with mountain moving power of turbo snails, bigger hermits and an emerald crabs.
Kenya tree (Capnella) - the branch was chopped off, tasted and dropped onto LR or the bottom. Attaches in 1-2 days, this way I have several frags.
Sun coral and scolymia were tasted and left alone, a couple of small pieces of the branching frogspawn tentacles were found at the bottom, and most suffered anthelia, which looks like fat big worms. Still grows, as you can see (almost a year later), as the same frogspawn:
The other corals in the same tank: red mushrooms, green hairy mushrooms, capnella, hammers, frogspawn, sun, chili, white lemnalia, white xenia, green star polyps, brown star polyps, yellow polyps, acan echino, zoas, scolymia, lobophyllia, candycane, blasto Merletti.
Mind, that this is intentionally low light tank: 110 Watt for 90g, tank depth is 24" (60 cm). Many corals were given to a better home.
Incompatibility
- Peppermint shrimp and feeders shrimp - eats them on a sight, and runs across the tank, trying to catch them, just like football player, catching a ball.
Why these are eaten and the blood shrimp are not? Hard to say, but while all of them have a common name "shrimp", the one is small, soft, with curled body and jerking motions, and another is lobster-like: big, hard shelled, and walks without rush.
- And the true cleaner wrasse, who doesn't recognize requests for cleaning - tilted body, sideways - but always likes to pinch the soft undefended belly. Repeatedly, deliberately, driving the big fish mad from the pain.
It's not an Aspidontus taeniatus, the false/mimic cleaner wrasse, checked. Had to remove aggressor to another tank. Now you see, how one starts to have too many tanks...
Next page: Behavior.