bat fish?

[devillion]

i was just wondering if any body has heard of a bat fish and how well they do in captive,and if this is the correct name,im not sure of the scientific name,but he's all black with a verticle orange stripe running up and down between his eyes.any info is much appreciated.THANKS A.S.

 

[fshhub]

Most Batfish adapt well to the average home aquarium. Please remember that Batfish grow extremely fast in captivity and an adequately sized tank with plenty of swimming room must be considered.however they are not reccommended for beginners
[ December 24, 2001: Message edited by: fshhub ]

 

[devillion]

just how quickly do they grow,i have him in a 125, is this big enough or not? THANKS AGAIN! A.S.

 

[big dave]

Something around 500 will do. They lose all of their coloration and finnage when older ending up a silvery, kinda round fish. Looks kinda like an overgrown discus. When I was in Vegas this summer, the one hotel had 2 in a 20,000 FO. They were both around 20 inches long. For an easy referance as to what they look like when older, they are realted to the spadefish and look just like one without 2 of its stripes. Good luck I really like these guys too bad I don't have a tank big enough! You probably have either a tiera(Platax Tiera) or orbic batfish(P. Orbicularis). The pinnates(P. Pinnatus) are rarely found in captivity and die usually quickly after importation. For good pictures and ID of fish, the book "Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide" has good pictures but no info. It is a diver's field guide and is useful in IDing unknown species of fish and inverts.
-Big Dave

 

[karlas]

here is some info i copied on the one you are talking about
"I am also referred to as the Bali Pinnatus, the Pinnate Platax, and the Redfin Batfish. My body is very dark and round shaped. My fins are very elongated, and my body is a very dark deep shade of red. I lose some of my color with age. I would like to join a 75-gallon or larger aquarium with lots of swimming room and is devoid of fin nipping tankmates. I enjoy a diet of meaty foods and herbivore preparations. As with all the batfish, I susceptible to ich but this is easily treated with copper based medications. I am generally peaceful and more than one batfish can be kept in one tank without incident. For more detailed information, Purchase the Burgess Atlas "
Size Up to 18 inches
Venomous No
Origin Pacific
Diet Omnivore
Manners Peaceful
Effort Level Difficult
Reef Compatible NoTank SG 1.020-1.025
pH 8.1-8.4
Temp. 72-78F
also there is a picture of it on the top of this page
bat fish
maby this will help you out

 

[peasly1]

the batfish you are thinking of from what you described is a pinnate batfish, probably the hardest to keep the few batfish.. all of these fish are suggested to a 200 gal or bigger..I have kept a longfin batfish almost 2 yrs now..got him when he was about the size of a silver dollar and kept him in a 30 gal for 6-8 months..moved him to where he is now a 125 gal..he seems very happy and is now about 15 in high and 10 in long ..eats easy 25 pieces of krill once a day.. 1 full size romaine leaf lettuce every few days. I think its about done growing and still has most all the color it had..if it get much bigger I will need a bigger tank..good luck