Cubicus Box Fish - Help!

[Fernando Parra]

Hi everyone,

I got a Cubicus Box Fish as a gift from a friend but I am a little worried about it. I read some information about the fish and I figured out that this specie has a poison that can kill all the fishes in the tank if threatened.

I talked with my vendor in my local fish store and they told me not to worry because it does not happen, they already had several fish like that and they never had a problem. This poison is just a myth.

I would like to hear your opinion guys about this fish! Should I keep this fish in my tank or would it be smarter to return it?

Thank you!
Fernando

 

[lmforbis]

They do have poison. According to live aquaria, they release a poison called ostracitoxin from its mucus glands which will kill other fish quickly. It is a difficult fish to keep and needs a lot of space.

 

[jay0705]

Now that you already have it. If you feel you can meet its requirements your fine. Its under stress then death they can cause a toxic reaction. Alive and left alone by tank mates your fine

 

[Shilpan]

Our local fish store has one in their display tank,

They said they had one 4-5 years ago which got stressed, released a poison and killed one out of thirty fish as a result. But this one currently has been there for 3-4 years with many other fish and no problems