Has a Boxfish(Cowfish) ever wiped out your tank

[broncofish]

The reason I ask is I'm getting sick of misinformation based on rumors about my favorite fish. Please put comments, suggestions or just flat out post to call me a weenie. I believe that most people who claim boxfish killed their systems had other problems, or put their boxfish under such extreme stress(ie 2 males in a 20g tank) that they released the toxins. If I'm wrong please prove it to me.

 

[simm]

I dont have one but I do have a friend who had problems with his tank. His died is why. When they get stressed or die it will release the toxins. I personaly think you would have to piss them off beyond belief for them to do this. I dont think a little of this here and there will cause him to.
from writeup:
Similar to other boxfish, the Cowfish Longhorn's skin is poisonous and, when threatened, it will release a toxin lethal to other tank members, including other Longhorns.

 

[ryebread]

When I first started out a saltwater tank a couple years ago.....I had a long-horned cowfish. It was the coolest fish in the tank by far.
The fish would eat right out of my hand and even sit in my hand while feeding.......I miss him. He got stuck to a powerhead that I didn't have properly covered.......I came home from work and he was alive but, he didn't make it much longer after that. He died overnight and I found him in the morning........all of my other fish were fine. I don't know if this is common or if it had something to do with the time of death or whatever but, I still have one of those fish today......all of the others I traded into the LFS in perfect health.
Good luck.

 

[k-dawg]

I'm glad you posted this poll because I have resently bought one and do have some concerns about housing it with my other fish.
It's my first boxfish so I couldn't answer personally but I did mention the toxin thing to one of my friends who told me he had one that died a few days after bringing it home. He said all the other fish in his tank died at the same time. However he did not know much about them because he didn't know that they were toxic until I told him. Plus he tried to keep it in a 18 gallon. I believe he only had two other fish in the tank, but he did say that's all that died. No invertabrates or corals or anything else, just the fish.
I wonder if the small size of the tank could have made the toxin more potent then if released in a larger system.

 

[broncofish]

Thanks for responding Rye, I think answers like yours will be more typical. If the little guys can handle the stress of shipping in little bags, then they can handle about anything you throw at them in a responsible system. I have to admit I took the sponges off my PH's and my cubicus got stuck, must have been that way for 1, and 1/2 minutes. No "nuked tank" and I definately learned my lesson. Sucks about yours Rye, I think all of us had made the mistake of PH's with our fish.

 

[dockery07]

I have a cowfish in my 125. He is perfect and even gets picked on by the cleaner wrasse, (pain in the butt fish). He has not done anything. He loves the clip.
I had a small box fish and he got his nose stuck in the powerhead, He only made it a week or so after that. I had no ill effects from either

 

[fishtanker]

i have a yellow cube boxfish. had him for about 8mos now. never had a problem with toxin release. he is an awesome fish..just like Rye's he eats out of my hand and loves to follow me around the tank. wife's favorite fish

 

[plum70rt]

Today I took this pic, this morning, tonite a t 10pm he passed, would not eat today, added some corals and zoos yesterday moved things today Maybe stressed him out a bit? I dont know why? Found him stuck to the overflow, did a few flips then motionless, ?? RIP ,

 

[broncofish]

Man plum that sucks, he was a good looking cow Did anything in your tank die because of him dying?

 

[plum70rt]

I removed him right away, but this morning a royal gramma, that was in there is DOA, Damm What went wrong?
water is all good,I did a one gallon water change in there yesterday when I did add some new frags,? could something be fouled?

 

[broncofish]

Thats strange. If it did not die until this morning I would doubt toxins are to blame, but it is possible.

 

[plum70rt]

I dont thnk toxins either , I think that these guys got a little too stressed with me putting my hand in a 7 gallon moving rocks a bit too much I going to wait a little while, then I may get another

 

[reefnut]

I to have recently lost my Cow fish.
Completely my fault. It happened during the tank move.
I owned him over a year and had no problems. The other fish left him alone and he left them alone. One thing I did notice (nothing to do with toxins) is that he was slow and clumsy. During feeding the other faster fish would swim circles around him not allowing him to get enough. I had to all ways watch to make sure he was properly fed.
He was my favorite very cool fish.

 

[cowfish]

this was my cowfish he dies in my tank and i didnt see him for about a day and nothing happend to my tank poor little guy

 

[nerdy]

I had a boxfish. It lived in my tank for about a year and then one day just died! I was away that day and came home to find every fish dead! All the water peramiters were fine. I was uneducated about this fish and if I knew I don't think that I would have got the fish!

 

[dattong]

I do own a cowfish rite now. It's been in my 100g tank for more than 2 weeks up to now, and everything just going so fine. Someone gave me an advice not to keep it in my reef, but I just don't really wanna to move it because it's so cute. So I've decided to keep it and pray for its sake It's eating my home made food and things on LR. I don't see any white spot on it so far (heard of it as ich magnet) I'm willing to pay for a lesson for keeping it.

 

[broncofish]

Dattong, you are correct on the ich magnet. They do not have as strong of a slime coat as other fish so ich is their most commen problem. Keeping cleaner shrimp with them help immensly. The toxicity factor is way overblown. The biggest problem is when people keep say a cubicus in a 20g tank with 3 damsels, and 2 clown fish. They are reef safe, except they are known to eat or nip at feathur dusters.

 

[dattong]

I have 2 cleaner shrimps, but looks like they prefer fish food rather than ich 'cause my fish dont have any for them I keep an eye on the cowfish very often and will remove it if any unhealthy sign show. I'm surprise that he's relatively small but no one in the tank dares to touch him

 

[brinkdrum]

I work at a LFS and i've had customers come in with all their fish for us to hold for them because they had one of these suckers die. I always warn people before they buy them, but i guess the customers like the way they look and they can't get over that. Pretty tricky fish. Gotta keep a close eye on them. Wouldn't personally keep one myself.

 

[kimkissyfish]

Hi,
I was concerned about getting my boxfish too.. But my LFS guy assured me the only way they will release the toxins is IF they are severely attacked.... there is a very small chance that when they die they will release the toxin BUT nost likely not.... So, as long as you keep him with fish that wil not attack him, your OK, just to be safe (as with any ) combination of fish keep your eye on all your fishies.... you should be fine, they are such cute fish.. Here is my MR BOX, he had such a personality and to watch him buzz around the tank was so cute.... He died and I found him in the morning and my tank was fine! Must have been natural causes and not a fight!
Thanking you kindly, Kim