Know the name of this fish??(description)

sheree

sheree

Member
This weekend we were in Fla....went to manyyyyy LFS`s...I saw a small tiny,almost square bodied fish-yellow with black spots. Adorable lil thing...forgot the name:(
It swam very slowww,,tiny fins.
Anyone have an idea what its called?? Better yet, a pic of one??
And....YES I bought some stuff for the tank while there. Everything made it home fine - I use a power converter in my Jeep and had circulation and air at all times(if needed) for the 9 hour drive. Wasnt needed tho..I had all bagged for "shipping" and they all made the trip no problem.
I got a red Gorgonian(15.99)..a large black Seahorse(10.00)...a large cluster of Sun Corals(29.99).. and a single branch frag of a trumpet coral(6.99)......and a bottle of DT`s:D
Pics attached.
Thanks in advance for any info on the yellow cutie.
(the caulerpa I gathered myself from the Gulf)
 
aggie05

aggie05

Member
Well then I am guessing that is the fish. It is a cubicus boxfish. There is a small one at my LFS and it actaully looks like a cube with fins.
 
sheree

sheree

Member
Thanks Aggie05...I`ll do a search on that name and see.;)
Did the search....not a cubicus. The fish I saw was the size of a Dice..a bit smaller even..vibrant yellow with black specks. Tail fin barely visable against the backside.Swam like a seahorse,,with side fins at the face and small tailfin.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
If you get it you'll have to name it Crouton ;)
Caution... they are highly toxic and if they get harassed they can wipe out an entire tank. Cute as heck though for sure!!!!!!
 
aggie05

aggie05

Member
That is a cubicus, like I said the one at the store here is probably about 1" in size and swims like a puffer. Never uses his tail. And he is the exact shape of a cube, just like you describe. But yeah, they do poison the tank if stressed just like any boxfish.
The site I got the pic from says they get up to 1'6" and requre 150 gallons. I guess they get less cube-like as they mature.
 
dfishh

dfishh

Member
ye deffinitly a boxfish, ive seen em that small, theyr really cool too, but r poisonous when stresed
DAVE
 
bobo

bobo

Member
sheree,
they are related to cowfishes and distant relatives of puffers. very cute and have great appetites (mine does anyways) yes they can release toxins when highly stressed and is potent enough to kill the whole tank, but i think everyone's warning will be misguiding, and should not steer you away from this cute little yellow swimming box. the chance of them releasing toxin is highly unlikely, and i'm sure people who has warned you about the toxin has never encouter it happen. they're small and won't ever get big enough in a tank environment to need a 150 gal, and their personality is great, very peaceful and will come to the glass when it sees you walking by. mine eats from my hand all the time. if you don't have an aggressive tank, and the water condition is good, you should be not be precautious about adding him. its an aggressive eater but make sure to feed it a varied diet(small enough to fit in its mouth of course). it will eat alot even consider how small it is, so beware of the bioload it might add(their waste is comparable to the those fish 3-4 times its size) it a very hardy fish and will thrive in an environment thats not stressful, but make sure to qt it and make sure you're main tank has no ick, because their highly prone to it due to its structure. my boxfish and puffer are my favorites(they're in two seperate tanks of course) and if you're tank is not aggressive i highly recommend having one in your tank.
 
michaeltx

michaeltx

Moderator
hows the horse doing. looks like the ones that I got a few months back that ended up being WC and wouldnt take frozen foods after a few days of esting it.
Mike
 
docile

docile

New Member
Here is a picture of my Longhorn Cowfish; the picture is 2 years old and he is doing great, one of my all time favorites.
 
vibe

vibe

Member
its a box fish like everyone else has already said. yeah they are cool, but know for picking at corals, sponges, and what not. if your planning on getting one, keep taht in mind. ;)
 
krux

krux

Member
my top three fish are the longhorn cowfish, the purple firefish, and the sarcastic fringehead (coldwater species or id have one for sure).
i did a lot of research on boxfish as well, and from what i have read and heard from owners, the toxin issue will only come into play if you wither have a lot of aggressive or territorial fish in your tank, or if you have to do a whole tank breakdown.
be sure to aclimate it in your quarantine tank, this is important with this species even more so than most fish due to the stress/toxin factor i am told.
hope that helps. one day i will own one myself, probably not until i get my 240 reef though (plenty of room for him to cruise around unmolested).
 
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