Boxfish

[jim48]

I saw a really cool looking yellow boxfish at my lfs. I can't remember the name of it, but it was yellow with small dots(I think they were blue). Any info?

[BlueNWhite]

The general name for it is Cube Box Fish. I have one and it is definitely one of the favourites. It doesn't grow as fast as the Cow Fish. It only eats nori from a clip. It's not a fast eater too, so make sure it is in an environment where you can give a chance to eat. I've got mine in a tank with Angels and Tangs, but I fill them up with other food like pellets and flakes while I put the nori in for him to eat, along with the Cow Fish.

I recommend this fish as an alternative if you like puffers and other similar fish that grow too fast.

Raymond

[jim48]

Thanks, these are just the fish I would probably be mixing this little guy with. He's really small at about 1.5 inches so I would most likely put him in the tank before anything more aggressive. Do you know about what the adult size of this fish would be? I'd be adding him to a 120 gal. 5ft long tank.

[jim48]

Also, does this boxfish retain its juvenile coloration?

[Hormigaquatica]

They do get quite large, around 12" long. I think a 5' tank would be OK for it, as theyre not really active, fast swimming fish. Just make sure its a pretty peaceful tank, as they dont stand up to harassment very well. Offer a wide variety of food sources- nori is OK, but make sure there is protien as well- mysis shrimp, chopped fish, formula foods, etc. In the wild they eat a lot of small benthic invertebrates.

They can be sensitive to medications, so treat with caution. They arent real tolerant of poor water quality either, so just make sure you stick with your regular tank maintainance.

The color doesnt really hold that well. In all honesty, I think theyre pretty unattractive as adults- but I still love the personality and how tame they can get. Kind of like aquatic dogs..lol..