Anybody have experience with this fish?

[Gr8KarmaSF]

Might go back to salt for this fish. Hard to find?

Quick Stats: Shaw's Trunkfish
Family: Ostraciidae
Range: Indo-Western Pacific
Size: Up to 7 inches
Diet: Omnivore
Tank Set-up: Marine: Coral or rock, plants
Reef Compatible: With caution
Tank Conditions: 72-78ºF; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4
Minimum Tank Capacity: 70 gallon
Light: Medium
Temperament: Peaceful
Venomous: Yes
Swimming Level: No specific level
Care Level: Difficult

Still in the research phase. Any info would be nice, and yes I have goooogled it already. Just want some first hand testimony please....

Can anybody speak to this?

When stressed, the Cowfish releases a poisonous substance, called ostracitoxin, from its mucous glands which will kill other fish in the tank very quickly. This fish has the peculiar habit of coming to the surface and spitting when it is hungry.

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

bump

 

[TheSwampFox]

I'm not familiar but I would assume you plan to keep this fish by itself in a species-only tank?

 

[sikoko]

i know its a type of boxfish and boxfish are notoriously hard to keep because they need water conditions to be perfect

 

[SimonL]

Never seen that particular species in shop. Boxfish can poison your tank if stressed out, so be careful with tankmate selection. Having lots of water volume, a good skimmer and running activated carbon all safeguard against tank nukage.

 

[Zoodiver]

Never seen that particular species in shop. Boxfish can poison your tank if stressed out, so be careful with tankmate selection. Having lots of water volume, a good skimmer and running activated carbon all safeguard against tank nukage.

This x2.
Trunks and boxfish are similar in husbandry. They tend to be good eaters once you get them going, but like to bite tank mate fins. And that whole "poison the tank" thing is something to be aware of. I've never had any do it, but I've heard bad things from others.

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

Thanks guys!

Anybody know how difficult it is to obtain these?

 

[duster1971]

I have no clue about how hard it is to get but I havnt seen it on any fishsales sites so gussy mabe kind of rare

 

[FLESHY]

I have never seen this particular species...yes to what everyone has been saying about the poison levels...and yes to this being a species only tank, or at least getting this fish settled and then experimenting with a few safer tankmates.

(Nothing worse than stressing a fish that can nuke like a nem.)

I would go through some LFS that has wholesale hookups, or through a wholesaler.

Maybe try to get into an importer, and ask them if they ever see them. QM would be a good place to start. Ask them if they get them, and if they do, where they go.

Another option would be suggesting this fish on the divers den...only thing is that they will post it on facebook and everyone will be waiting for it to go online to buy it.

 

[Conner]

Definitely be careful with tank mates. My brother used to keep SW tanks, and he had a gorgeous 125g predator/reef setup with a boxfish in it (he was aware of the poison issue and was very careful about it). He was away for the weekend one time, and had a "trusted" friend watch the tank. Unfortunately the friend managed to stress the boxfish out somehow, and by the time my brother got back home, half the tankmates were dead, and the rest only survived because he had other tanks to move them to immediately. The tank almost completely crashed, and it took him a long time to get it back to where it had been.

It is a gorgeous fish though. There are so many amazing looking SW fish, that I'm very tempted to start a SW tank myself...