We’re sorry to sound like shrieking young fangirls when singing the praises of “LiveAquaria” Diver’s Den, but time and again Kevin Kohen, Steve Krogh, and the rest of the team behind the Drs. Foster & Smith live aquatics division, prove that they may be the standout, singular company to deal with when seeking the rarest, or the most difficult, marine aquarium fish on the market. But if you’re still a skeptic, read on and check out the video that will blow your mind.
Case in point, consider the four Oxymonacanthus halli, the Red Sea Harlequin Filefish, shipped in the dead of winter this week. To say they were professionally packaged is an understatement, but the fact that these fish, known SPS-coralfeeders in the wild, were eating anything within hours of acclimation, is testament to the skill behind getting the most “expert-only” fish from point A to point B in tip-top shape.
While I had to figure it out for myself when tackling the breeding of Oxymonacanthus longirostris (the far more common Harlequin Filefish), you could argue that this is almost cheating. The hard work, that of getting these fish conditioned to life in captivity, was already done!
These fish didn’t just magically start feeding, no sir. Having been on hand in Rhinelander since early December, Steve Krogh spent weeks paying special attention to these fish, ensuring they were weaned onto aquarium fare and in prime shipping condition. When sent this week, I was told they were feeding on Nutramar Ova and CYCLOP-EEZE®. However, imagine my delight to find that 24 hours out of the bag, they are already consuming Spectrum Thera A and Spectrum Grow in the smallest pellet size (0.5 mm).
While I already had one pair of Oxymonacanthus halli on hand, purchased in late in 2012, with 6 fish now in the house, it’s safe to say “Game On” as I race to tackle the captive-breeding of the only other Oxymonacanthus filefish besides O. longirostris!
This is not the first time that Reef Builders staff have gushed about the level of professionalism that LiveAquaria provides; see Ross’s I <3 LiveAquaria.
