My skittish foxface

dirtyclownfish · #1 10/27/2007, 05:16 PM

I have had my foxface rabbitfish for over a year now, and all the time that I have had him, he is easily frightened. Is this fish nervous by nature or what can I do to the environment to make him more comfortable?

ssavader · #2 10/27/2007, 06:52 PM

I have had a Single-Spot Rabbitfish for about 3 months. He remains very shy, is typically faded and only full color about 1/3 the time, and likes to hide a lot. So I sympathize. I have nothing in the tank to frighten or abuse him and all my tank parameters are perfect, so maybe its the the nature of the fish?

sirgeez · #3 10/27/2007, 07:59 PM

I have one as well. It seems to get spooked really easy whenever I move to fast. Although during feeding time he is one of my boldest fish

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dirtyclownfish · #4 10/27/2007, 08:07 PM

Thank you and bump.

dirtyclownfish · #5 10/28/2007, 12:09 PM

Today my foxface seems to be a little more relaxed and is swimming around the tank. He has been picking morsels of diatom of of the back pane of glass behind the rockwork. He probably finds more back there as I Mag-Float the glass twice a day.

Thurge · #6 10/28/2007, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sirgeez
I have one as well. It seems to get spooked really easy whenever I move to fast. Although during feeding time he is one of my boldest fish

Perfectly describes my Magnificent Fox. He is kept with Fairy wrasses so there is no aggression in the tank.

dirtyclownfish · #7 10/28/2007, 04:32 PM

bump.

dirtyclownfish · #8 10/28/2007, 04:35 PM

I rearranged the rockwork today, I gave my foxface a lot more hiding places. He has made himself a little "garage" to hide in. His name is Richard Matthew Stallman, after the father of free software.

jmicky41 · #9 10/28/2007, 08:01 PM

I had a Majestic that never really did come out of it's shell. It would thrash around when ever someone came near the tank and it almost never showed any pattern other than greyish black. It was by far the largest fish in the tank. After 3 years or so, it died before my eyes.

dirtyclownfish · #10 10/29/2007, 06:04 AM

In all of my life fishkeeping, I have never had a fish expire in front of my eyes, euthanasia excepted, thought. I think the hiding places have helped. Richard is now swimming about with my Blue-Head Wrasse and Coral Beauty, picking morsels from live rock and the glass. He seems to have been a little shy ever since the Tang had to be euthanised.

thor32766 · #11 10/29/2007, 01:17 PM

a alot of them are passive. I have a buddy who has had a magnificent in his tank for over a year and is still quite shy also.

dirtyclownfish · #12 10/29/2007, 06:34 PM

I am currently allocating funds to a 125 gallon aquarium. Maybe more space will help him to feel more comfortable. Fast moving thing scare Richard, having a corgi is no help. He has been in his stress coloration a lot less today. A few water changes have improved the water quality, so I think that that has helped. Richard continues to show signs of Improvement and is eating very well, he is almost as crazy during feeding as my Bluehead Wrasse.

HPD Turbo · #13 10/29/2007, 06:55 PM

Well I guess mine is crazy or some thing. He is not shy at all, he is allways in front out in the open, he comes to the front of the galss when I aproach.
Very friendly.

Froggy · #14 11/05/2007, 07:41 PM

I actually just added a Foxface Rabbit fish to my 75 reef. From what I have read and seen in person, rabbitfish are pretty easily frightened and will go into hiding if startled by fast movements around the tank etc. It is kind of cool to see the color change when frightened.

They are also a very active fish when comfortable in their surroundings. My Foxface was only in hiding for one day and has been in the tank for 4 days now. He is always out in the open and swimming the tank grazing any algae he can find. He is not even scared off by me moving in front of the tank. I guess I got lucky and got a pretty bold one. He is very skittish, if I am working in the tank, and will usually immediately hide.

Careful when you work in the tank as you can get stung by a Foxface if it gets startled and runs into you. They have venomous spines which I am sure you are aware of.

dirtyclownfish · #15 11/26/2007, 04:01 PM

bump

Cheekmonkey · #16 11/26/2007, 07:43 PM

Does he keep of the corals? I'm considering a foxface for my reef... are skittish ones more likely to keep off the coral do you think?

mrwilson · #17 11/26/2007, 11:51 PM

I have a very friendly one-spot foxface. I wonder if it has anything to do with age? Mine is about 4 1/2" long, so is bigger than quite a number of the ones that tend to be offered for sale in LFS. When you approach the tank he goes right up to the glass to greet you, and when you're back away from the tank he is always swimming back and forth across the tank in the open (but not in a manic, hurried way that makes it appear as if he is cramped, which is nice). He just swims back and forth at a kind of medium pace, and then when the lights go off and he goes into his camouflage colration (with spines up) and sleeps, he's still in the front of the tank crouched near some rockwork. One of my favorites. He really has a lot of personality.

If I didn't think it would be asking for trouble (I have a 115-gallon display), I'd like to add another rabbitfish of some variety. I might try it if I had a 240 or larger.

LukFox · #18 11/26/2007, 11:59 PM

It'll likely always be a bit skittish. I had a 7" foxface for over two years that was fairly bold, but still got spooked pretty easily for being the biggest fish in the tank on top of being the first addition. He was bold in that he ate from my hand and spat in my face when I opened the top, but otherwise, not so much.

dirtyclownfish · #19 11/27/2007, 06:51 AM

Mine has never touched a coral of any kind. I started running carbon (change it three times a week) since my skimmer is crud and the water quality has improved tremendously. As I type, he is swimming around with my seemingly mentally ill wrasse and my aggressive coral beauty, picking on the rockwork.

snappedbigfoot · #20 11/28/2007, 12:40 AM

My foxface is only shy if he doesn't have a swiming buddy, when I had my trigger he was extremely bold but since I took my trigger out because problems. Now hes extremely shy again.

snappedbigfoot · #21 11/28/2007, 12:40 AM

My foxface is only shy if he doesn't have a swiming buddy, when I had my trigger he was extremely bold but since I took my trigger out because problems. Now hes extremely shy again.

Froggy · #22 11/28/2007, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by snappedbigfoot
My foxface is only shy if he doesn't have a swiming buddy, when I had my trigger he was extremely bold but since I took my trigger out because problems. Now hes extremely shy again.

Funny you should mention this. I have had my One spot Foxface for nearly a month now. He has become very bold and not very shy or skittish anymore. He even stays out in th open with my hands in the tank ( which i have to be careful of). He has seemed to take up with my Kole tang that has been in the tank for about 4 years. The Foxface is always swimming with and following the Kole around. The Kole does not seem to mind and they will even hover next to eachother when not actively swimming.

The Foxface is now one of the more aggressive/eager eaters as well and comes to the glass when I am near hoping for a meal.

Cheekmonkey · #23 11/28/2007, 10:55 AM

Well I'm trying my first foxface today, a 3" one spot foxface. I'll let you know how it goes...

dkh0331 · #24 11/28/2007, 11:05 AM

My fiji foxface and black tang are best buds. 95% of the time when you see one, the other is very close by.

Cheekmonkey · #25 11/28/2007, 01:56 PM

Well hes being acclimated now... hes funny, he seems to like people if you leave walk away he goes to camo and puts his spines up. But if you are in front of him he is yellow and relaxed...