check out my absolutly tiny longhorn!!

lux_06 · #1 09/23/2006, 09:53 PM

hello to all, hope youve had a good weekend!

found this little guy at the lfs yesterday, i had no tank for him as my display is fallow and qt still infested... so he is in a 29g i think its un cycled but this guy is not going to produce enough waste for me to worry about for the month hes in the tank, just big weekly waterchanges.

this guy swims so slowly i think hes bored! gonna find him some cool rocks to play in.... i put the smallest powerhead i could buy in the tank and it still blows him around hes so small! about 1.5cm i reckon, and im really looking forward to watching him grow.

adam

sorry got no lights on the tank so fotos are a bit dull....

CrazyLionfish · #2 09/23/2006, 10:00 PM

that thing is awesome!

lux_06 · #3 09/23/2006, 10:42 PM

have to decide now if he goes into my reef? or i get a new unreefsafe tank, with some butterflys, small puffers and a harlequin tusk?

cristhiam · #4 09/24/2006, 07:28 AM

Very nice boxfish are you sure is a longhorn? here is a pic of my little one, not so little anymore, mine is in my reef with all kidns of corals.

angels mcgee · #5 09/24/2006, 07:53 AM

I think it is a cubicus boxfish

lux_06 · #6 09/24/2006, 08:54 AM

yeh positive its a longhorn, check out this link, they dont develop the horns yet, but when u look heaps closly at its forhead u can see raised points that i assume will become the horns as there in the right spot.

www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_print_pages/0...

just made up a guard for the intake of the powerhead.

by far the best little critter ive ever bought so far, makes me laugh just watching him hover around!

jmaneyapanda · #7 09/24/2006, 09:13 AM

I hope you have done your homework- they get HUGE! Also, I would reconsider the tankmates. They move really slowly, so quicker faster tankmates like a harlequin tusk would probably make food acquisition tough for these guys. I wouldn't even put it past a tusk to try to eat that little thing like a crouton. You probably wont find a tusk that is smaller than about 4", unless you're really lucky.

I recommend not keeping them in reefs. They can certainly work, but I think eventually, they will start pecking at the inverts. I know Christiam has a cow in his reef with no issues, so like i said, it's possible, but I think risky.

lux_06 · #8 09/24/2006, 09:25 AM

yeh got enough gear to satisy this guys future so now worries, i really dont think hes gonna have any other tankmates bigger then a goby for at least a year, well see how quick he grows. he couldnt even go near my reef at the moment he would just get blown around so ill just have to wait and see.

adam

lux_06 · #9 09/24/2006, 09:40 AM

heres a link to a pic of a juvenile cubicus boxfish.

www.amonline.net.au/.../fish/ostracion.htm

definately not one of those.

adam

AVALover5498 · #10 09/24/2006, 01:36 PM

OMG, that is sooooo cute!
I want one so much but my GF would kill me if i get another fish.

cristhiam · #11 09/24/2006, 01:54 PM

make sure you get to feed it all kinds of food especially greens, mine eats nori, red algea, mysys, brine, I soak food in selcom, eats everything except flakes. They have a great personality. Mine shares the tank with a sailfin tang that it's 3 times bigger than it, 3 clowns, watchman goby, purple dotty back, mandarin, at feeding time he can hold it's own the tang and the cow eat out of the same veggie clip. Mine was almost the first fish in I think that is the key. I don't think they pick at corals Randy Holmes has one for over 2 years in a reef (their main diet is veggies).

jmaneyapanda · #12 09/24/2006, 02:07 PM

I dont know if they would bother SPS, but I wouldn't rule out any inverts such as worms, anemones, or clams. I would even guess LPS may be a bit tempting. They are definitely NOT strict herbivores though, make sure to provide a lot of meaty food as well as greens.

Chaotic Reefer4u · #13 09/24/2006, 02:22 PM

cute lil' bugger!

cristhiam · #14 09/24/2006, 02:28 PM

I have clams, sps, I had a RBTA that I sold it would not settle down, feather dusters, clean up crew, oyster, zoos, brains, acan lords lots of xenia (i wish will eat some of this

), green star polyps (this would be good if it eats it too), candy canes, goni, frogspawn, and much more, the only good thing is if it picks at something it's easy to catch but I doubt it.
Pics of my tank

http://www.home.earthlink.net/~pinatas/

jmaneyapanda · #15 09/24/2006, 02:39 PM

yours still looks not too big. Just keep an eye out. I will keep all my fingers and toes crossed for you.

cristhiam · #16 09/24/2006, 03:45 PM

you should see the one that Randy's got in the chemistry forum

Fishfirst · #17 09/24/2006, 05:38 PM

The hospital's tank that I maintain has one of these... urchins snails, ect are fair game from what I've seen as well.

lux_06 · #18 09/24/2006, 07:01 PM

cheers guys,

i feed my own mix made up of 50% squid legs, mussels, prawns, salmon, crushed pellets, shredded nori, garlic. my puffer has grown dramiticly in the 2 months ive been using this mix and will never go back to buying food again, i froze the mixture in my old mysis shrimp trays so i have like 1000 cubes for about $10.

so far when feeding i notice he will go after the little flakes of nori that drift around but he eats with more gusto the little bits of prawn or fish. tricky to feed, i get his attention then let little bits fall around him, seems to be working but have to be careful about just how much i feed as i dont wont to polute the tank.

still havent decided where he's gonna end up, itll be a while yet so ive got plenty of time.

adam

dandy7200 · #19 09/24/2006, 08:56 PM

Heres mine in the reef....

First fish in is key. No nipping, killer personality. He picked up on hand feeding in less than a week. Really need to think about the other fish you want to keep. I wouldn't even put a tang in with him. While he could probably hold his own at feeding time if the tang started nipping him.....wipeout. I run alot of carbon on my tanks anyway so if it ever happens I am comfortable the damage won't be devistating but, he's the main attraction.

Chaotic Reefer4u · #20 09/24/2006, 09:22 PM

very nice dandy 7200

Sushi Roll · #21 09/25/2006, 02:09 AM

Lux_06,

First, neither of those links worked.

Second, that fish REALLY looks like a boxfish. But if not, it could be a Helmet Cowfish. I don't think its a Longhorn though...

Third, don't forget that he could poison everything in your tank if he gets stressed.

Good luck!

lux_06 · #22 09/25/2006, 04:29 AM

ok sorry guys, obviously cutting and pasting aint gonna cut it!

ill get the images for ya.

lux_06 · #23 09/25/2006, 04:34 AM

ok firstly is a pic of a juvinille longhorn cowfish, thanks to www.aclaimimages.com

too me this fish looks identicle, and on this site it has lots of info on the species.

secondly is a pic of a juvinile cubicus boxfish, thanks to www.amonline.com.au

now its definately not the second one.

adam

lux_06 · #24 09/25/2006, 08:59 AM

sushi roll - just been and had a look at some pics of this helmet boxfish and your right it looks simular, but im sure its not one of those.

one thing that needs considering is im an Aussie and i know this fish came from distributors in Western Australia, these guys collect fish from the indo-pacific region and this is where long horns are found, helmets on the other hand are found in sri lanka, and i just cant see a collecter in W.A getting their hands on something like that, im pretty sure captures from sri lanka would not be heading towards Aus, rather the U.S and a more lucrative market.

cheers

adam

donald altman · #25 09/26/2006, 08:25 AM

I got one just like it.. It was labled a long horn and is identicle to that one.. I was thinking it might be a helmet as well..
either way they are so cool and so cute.. I love him. Howeve rI ham having a problem with to much flow in my 100 gallon mixed reef.. I have no other fish in the tank and he is being blown around.. I cut my main pump off and not sure if my corals aer going to suffer..

will it become a stronger swimmer as it gets older? It is
only a half inch.