Heniochus acuminatus

[Dr4g0nf1y]

Is there anything special I need to know about the care of a Heniochus acuminatus (Longfin Bannerfish, Wimplefish, Poor Man's Moorish Idol)??

[Jeffie]

Not really. There very hardy, eat anything, etc.etc. They do get pretty big pretty fast. If you are going to put them into a reef there is two different kinds that are hard to tell the difference. One is a planktivore that will not bother your corals. The other is more of a reef fish that will sample most anything. You might want to post that question to differentiate the two if you are going to put them in a reef.

[kenny77]

there are 3 different banner fish that is kind of difficult to tell the difference with out taking a close look.

H. acuminatus, H. diphreautus
H. acuminatus is the most common one. it has a longer snout.

H. diphreautus may be distinguisheed by the possesion of an additioanl dorsal ray, a shorter snout, and a more pointed, shorter anal fin.

also before you get it, do a search on wich one is reef safe. from what i remeber the H. diphreautus was "reefsafe" but will eat any tubeworm in the tank. and the H. acuminatus love polyp. somebody correct me if im wrong

[Dr4g0nf1y]

All of the reading I've come up with was that both Acuminatus and Diphreautus are both "reef ok" with Acuminatus being an Omni and Diphreautus being a Herbi.

I need to dig more.

[Dr4g0nf1y]

Taken from "PetPlace.Com":


"Bannerfish. Heniochus acuminatus, also known as the wimplefish, pennant coralfish and poor man’s Moorish idol, is one of six species in its genus and comes from the Indo-Pacific. It needs plenty of room in the aquarium as, in nature, it usually swims in pairs or small schools. It has a white body with broad vertical black lines and a yellow tail and dorsal fin. An obvious characteristic is the long filament that grows from its dorsal fin is the reason why it is sometimes called the poor man’s Moorish idol. It eats algae, plankton and small invertebrates and can grow to be about eight inches in nature, although it usually does not achieve that size in captivity. "