Mike de Jonge is a cool Dutch reefer having a particular preference in fish: filefish. In his 80-Gallon reef, he does not only keep a pair of Acreichthys radiatus that lays eggs, but he also manages to keep a pair of orange spot filefish, Oxymonacanthus longirostris.
Normally these fish are mostly kept with long-term success in large aquaria with large amounts of sps-corals, Mike uses another trick: after purchase, he first taught the fish to accept prepared foods, lobster eggs are especially a favourite. During the first weeks, the fish are kept in a small critter container until they learn to accept the foods offered. This of course leads to the advantage that his filefish’s appetite is easier to satisfy.
Fat fish are happy fish, and Mike’s O. longirostris certainly appear to be happy in the small video he took. His orange spot filefish spawn regularly, this happens during the day. Although Mike normally is at work during that time, based on observations during the weekend he feels that the mating occurs several times each month. Unlike the A. radiatus, O. longirostris does not protect the eggs.
Orange spot filefish has been bred in captivity once before, but as having success with these fish is still rare, we felt we had to share Mikes video of the fish caught in the act with you.
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