Need some help here. Read a great article in Marine Fish and Reef Magazine on collecting fish in sargassum that flaots in the southern Atlantic. Soooo, when we went to the beach last week we dipped a bunch and found some great inhabitants.

The only fish were Planehead filefish which are between dime and quarter sized. They are already eating flake food (after two days) and anything else I put in the tank.

After incubation, I'd like to put one in my 72 reef or 29 reef. Anyone have any experience?

jc

hey anchor, Planehead i havn't heard of, cause thats over your neck of the wood, however File fish i have. Resonable sized family tree, leather jackets, triggers, starting to ring the oppertunistic species bell ?
Some species mimic the environment , just looked at yours just now on the net to get an idea, they live in the reeds & seaweed yeah? So in the end, prob not the best idea

i did a google search on the fish ... not much about them to find. i have found that if you cant find them on the net for sale by a reputable dealer, then you should stay away from them.

Thanks for the info guys... I suspect you are correct. I've been observing them in the 10 gallon tank they are now living in, which has simple beach sand and shells and a clump of sargassum which is fading fast.) The fish are interesting as they swim like a trigger.

Not colorful, but pretty nonetheless in a sort of mottled camo-brown to match the seaweed. Within three days they were begging for food at the front of the tank.

Several small shrimp and two small crabs which also lived in the seaweed and match the color are all doing well. I may need to set up a larger tank just for this little beach system.

It would be fun to see one of the filefish in my reef tank. I'm also wondering if maybe they'd take care of some aptasia for me.