batfish? or batfish?

Discussion in 'Tropical Fish' started by chelseagrin, Jul 2, 2012.

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  1. chelseagrin

    chelseagrin Fire Goby

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    well i was doing some research online to prove to a few people on a predator tank thread that batfish are not very well suited to a predatory tank with their timid nature. and i just so happened to stumble upon this site

    batfish aquarium care

    has anyone ever heard of these fish being kept in an aquarium? they look pretty freaky but also pretty awesome, i was wondering if anyone has housed one of these before.

    the site says that they are used to open areaas with very little rockwork so i was thinking maybe a tank used as a frag tank maybe a 3x3 or 4x4 foot tank and just put some sand and a few rocks in there. i probably wont end up doing this though but just thought i would pass the idea on. haha.
     
    chelseagrin, Jul 2, 2012
    chelseagrin, Jul 2, 2012
    #1

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  2. Renee@LionfishLair

    Renee@LionfishLair 3reef Sponsor

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    They are extremely hard to get to eat and a larger tank is needed with a lot of open substrate. They also need a dark strip around the bottom of the tank to get them to stop bumping into it resulting in a infection of their rostrum.

    They typically die in captivity. Sometimes it can take them a long time to starve to death. If someone kept one for over a year, I would consider that a little bit of a success..... I have yet to meet that person.
     
    Renee@LionfishLair, Jul 2, 2012
    Renee@LionfishLair, Jul 2, 2012
    #2
  3. chelseagrin

    chelseagrin Fire Goby

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    That's funny I have never heard of such a fish in the marine aquarium hobby. I don't recall ever seeing any for sake either.
     
    chelseagrin, Jul 2, 2012
    chelseagrin, Jul 2, 2012
    #3
  4. Greg@LionfishLair

    Greg@LionfishLair 3reef Sponsor

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    Nice article. Walking batfish are pretty cool fish...they even have a small esca (lure) similar to anglers, altho it's not a modified dorsal spine, IIRC.

    Renee and I would love to keep this fish, but our hands (and tanks) our currently full. Maybe someday, as we do see them offered in the LFS's every so often...
     
    Greg@LionfishLair, Jul 3, 2012
    Greg@LionfishLair, Jul 3, 2012
    #4
  5. kwinter1

    kwinter1 Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone

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    They look like a cool fish but thats a pretty big foot print for a relatively empty tank imo
     
    kwinter1, Jul 3, 2012
    kwinter1, Jul 3, 2012
    #5
  6. Chuyr

    Chuyr Astrea Snail

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    they look cool if you end up gettin one take alot of pics of your progress
     
    Chuyr, Jul 4, 2012
    Chuyr, Jul 4, 2012
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  7. chelseagrin

    chelseagrin Fire Goby

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    Haha I don't think I'll be getting one any time soon as they sound like they are quite difficult and I don't even have a tank setup now. I'm thinking they would require a species specific tank .
     
    chelseagrin, Jul 4, 2012
    chelseagrin, Jul 4, 2012
    #7
  8. Chuyr

    Chuyr Astrea Snail

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    yeah they seem pretty advanced. but they do look nice i wouldnt mind one if they werent so hard
     
    Chuyr, Jul 5, 2012
    Chuyr, Jul 5, 2012
    #8