Cowfish?

[qofther]

Hi

Real newbie here-
We bought a used system that had been established for a few years and it has been up and running for a week now in our house. Everybody seems to be really happy. My other half went to the fish store to get a bunch of snails and cleaning critters and came home with a double horned Cowfish. He is very cool - entertaining as heck. The guy at the store said he was perfect for reef tanks and is not agressive and we should not have any problems at all. Well, I hopped on the internet and read how adults can grow to 16 even 20 inches!!! So now I'm a bit freaked out that he is going to grow to be huge... is there anything else about this fish we should know about? He is only 2" tops now and is living with a couple of clowns and the "blue brothers" - a couple of yellow tailed damsels. TIA
Q

 

[robchuck]

Check out this site about cowfish, it's got alot of great info.
Your cowfish will probably be alright for awhile in a reef. I had one about the size of yours, and he was in my tank for a month. The only coral I had in the tank at the time was a small frag of Xenia, and he left that alone. The fish was a messy eater, and produced alot of waste, given it's size. They do get big, but probably more in the 10" range in captivity. An 8"er is the biggest cowfish I've seen in any home aquarium; but beware, most of the growth occurs early in their lives. Mine grew about 1/2" in the month that I had it.
The only problem was that it was a really weak swimmer, and it was constantly getting stuck to the powerheads, even with a foam prefilter attached. That's how it finally met its demise; I was gone for an afternoon, came back, and there he was stuck to the powerhead yet again, only this time he swam awkwardly after the powerhead was shut off, and died a few days later in a QT tank (he looked bad after the incident, so I placed him in the QT to prevent him from releasing his toxin into the display tank).
Feeding was also a problem. All of the other fish in the tank were much faster and more aggressive eaters, so I would have to feed the rest of the fish on one side of the tank, and feed the cowfish with a turkey baster on the other side, and shoo fish away from the cowfish after they saw the special treatment it was getting.
Finally, you'll want to be diligent with keeping your tank clean. Cowfish are messy eaters, and create messy waste, which makes it really easy for your nitrates to get out of control, which is not good for your corals.
These are amazing fish with interesting personalities, but they require a lot of care.

 

[qofther]

Thanks Robchuck-
I am worried about this guy. What are some options to do with a fish when they become outgrown/angry/mean or any other undesireable characteristic? The guy we bought the tank from had some black fish that was really mean and he didnt make the trip to his new home. I hate to just come out and kill a fish that is undesireable. Are there any options?

 

[dugan]

I hate to just come out and kill a fish that is undesireable. Are there any options?
Yes, PLEASE do not kill your fish if you decide they are not working out!!! Take your fish back to the LFS.
If you do your research before buying your fish though, you shouldn't have too many problems.
Best thing you can do is to read these boards A LOT!! You will learn a ton... about keeping your fish healthy and happy, compatibility, disease diagnosis and treatment, etc. etc. etc.

Welcome, by the way!!
Katie

 

[guppy slayer]

WELCOME
I don't know about cow fish but was wondering if your tank has gone thru it's cycle?? You said it's been running in your house for a week??

 

[qofther]

Yes but it was an already established tank... we set it up with 1/2 original tank water, 1/2 pure rain water. Everything we were told was we should be fine. Everybody seems happy in the tank.

 

[hirock]

Just a word about Boxfish:
DO NOT STRESS them out!!! Depending on the family: Tetraodontidae (puffers) or Ostraciidae (trunkfish) they both can secrete a toxin known as tetraodotoxin or ostracitoxin. Both forms can wipe out a community if it decides to foul your system. It rarely happens unless the species becomes stressed or fearful of predatory attack. If one ever dies or release its toxin, whatever you do, use a long net to fish it out and protect the hands with vinyl gloves. A friend once removed a deceased specimen from his system, not thinking about the cut he had on one hand. His arm ached and burned for 3 days after. He told me that after the swelling subsided, his arm tingled for a few weeks after.
Just a little FYI for you.