Aiptasia eating filefish owners: do yours nip at corals?

[Johnnyg.]

Caught my biota filefish picking at my gold hammer as well as 3 other hammer colonies last night. ✌

 

[moz71]

I got one it took out all the aptasia then starting picking at my acans. So out him in sump for awhile. Started seeing the aptasia again in DT so put him back in. So far this time around he seems to be behaving but I guess we will see. Not expecting to be good forever. At least he NEVER bothered my Zoas or others. Just the acans.

 

[hsingh]

Caught my biota filefish picking at my gold hammer as well as 3 other hammer colonies last night. ✌

Yup, I had one of those biota matted filefish, took out my acans, a green torch and then a beautiful multiheaded Aussie gold torch. Now have peppermint shrimp and no issues with aptasia any more

 

[srobertb]

I have an ongoing aiptasia problem and was strongly considering adding a filefish to help out.
According to most fish retailers, they do nip at corals. However, when asking for personal experience from other reefers, they say theirs was well behaved.
What about yours?
Would be helpful if you included the types of corals in your tank.

Mine do not. I got annoyed with aiptasia so I added about 20 peppermint shrimp and 2 file fish to my tank after dropping $300 on nudibranches- which I have had luck with in the past. The file fish were sold as “Aiptasia eating file fish” from live aquaria. They are two different species.

I have no more Aiptasia. I occasionally see a peppermint shrimp at night.

They don’t seem to be able to eat the chonky aiptasia so I had to aiptasia-x the quarter sized ones.

They eat regular fish food. The mottled filefish actually lays up against the base of a large pocillipora colony when hiding and to sleep.

 

[my.name.is.Kat]

My file fish didn't start with aiptasia. It started with Tube Worm. Then Zoas. After that it started my aiptasia infested tank. Couple days after it ate my Tiger Conch snail. Now with the aiptasia gone it chizzled my SPS. Gets along with all my fish.
My clownfish did more destruction in cost wise with corals than the file fish. My clownfish was actually dropping coral chuncks on the aiptasia and rubbing against it causing it to spread. We had to reglue corals 3 or 4 times a week from him constantly rubbing on corals. Today none of the corals, invertebrates, or aiptasia survived.

 

[TWYOUNG]

Just watched my Biota aptasia eating filefish eat the Anthelia I JUST put in there.

 

[Johnnyg.]

I’ve watched mine eat lps. Hammers and acans

 

[gbroadbridge]

I have an ongoing aiptasia problem and was strongly considering adding a filefish to help out.
According to most fish retailers, they do nip at corals. However, when asking for personal experience from other reefers, they say theirs was well behaved.
What about yours?
Would be helpful if you included the types of corals in your tank.

Mine killed $1k of scolies in a couple of days before he was returned

 

[TWYOUNG]

Mine killed $1k of scolies in a couple of days before he was returned

Just returned him to the lfs after he turned his attn to my Solomon Hairy Leather and I noticed zoa polyps disappearing.

 

[Uncle99]

Mine did a great job on Aptasia.

Was slow to start but then, cleaned the tank in 3 weeks.

I watched mine “hit” one, shrink it to a dot, pick it off, then cleaned all around where the stalk once was. Very interesting.

I move him back to the refuge a once I seen him peck, where he shouldn’t, so yup, can be problem as well.

 

[mdanchqst]

I'm a little late to this conversation but I just found it. I have a newish display and have had some aptasia pop up, so I bought a filefish from my LFS. This guy hasn't touched the aptasia but is tearing into my acans and clove polyps. I don't care too much about the cloves, but the acans are worth more than he is.

 

[TWYOUNG]

I'm a little late to this conversation but I just found it. I have a newish display and have had some aptasia pop up, so I bought a filefish from my LFS. This guy hasn't touched the aptasia but is tearing into my acans and clove polyps. I don't care too much about the cloves, but the acans are worth more than he is.

Yep! Unfortunately choice is Filefish goes or FOWLR tank!

 

[shrews]

Get nudibraches. I haven’t tried a filefish personally but I’ve seen many threads on here of them nipping coral.

Don’t Nudibranches also eat Zoa

 

[Peace River]

Don’t Nudibranches also eat Zoa

There are zoa-eating nudibranchs, but Berghia nudibranchs only eat Aiptasia.

 

[Jmp998]

My filefish destroyed my huge Duncan, occasionally nibbled at Aiptasia, only rarely and mostly inconsequentially tastes other corals. Nice fish though, I like her better than the Duncan, so she stays as long as she does not start eating my torches or gonis. I don’t have acans which are reportedly another popular food.

At least filefish are usually not that hard to catch if they go rogue.

 

[Kasrift]

@Rennurdoar Filefish discussion on if they eat corals, thought you should take a look.

Anyone here have theirs eat a torch coral before?

 

[Jimbo662]

I've been lucky. I've had two and both never touched a coral.

 

[John Biddle]

Mine took half a week before gobbling up the Aptasia but after awhile he ate a small duncan, a small hammer and a large cespitularia, Hasn't touched any of my zoas, though.,