Newest edition, ORA captive bred Rudarius ercodes

[BriDroid]

I’ve been looking to add a final fish to my tank, and digitate hydroids have started popping up. Researching the web, a white spotted Pygmy filefish seemed like a decent choice. They won’t jump out of the open top, and will hopefully pick at the hydroids! ORA and anyone who’s had one says that they’re reef safe, so we’ll see. So far he’s been fine.

I had no clue just how small a 1” filefish is, but he’s tiny! Maybe the size of a thumbnail. So far he’s picking at the rocks and glass for pods, and he’s eaten some frozen spirulina brine. He’s so tiny and not afraid of anything! I also had no idea just how cute they are!

 

[DmitryB]

Aquacultured fish usually come teeny tiny. (Though Biota now has medium Coral Beauties.)

That's a super cute fish! I need to read up on them. My fish options are wide open.

 

[kevgib67]

Beautiful little fish, never saw one before, thanks for sharing.

 

[DmitryB]

Reading up on it, including a thread here at R2R, and they talk about it not being a good swimmer, but everywhere else it says they like high flow. So a little confused by that! But I think I'm definitely gonna get one for my 40 gallon. The plan for the 40 is a pair of Clowns + Anemone, Royal Gramma or Exquisite Firefish. And Starry Blenny. Anybody see any compatibility issues? (It'll be a Zoa garden with a two or three LPSes on the sand bed.)

 

[BriDroid]

Reading up on it, including a thread here at R2R, and they talk about it not being a good swimmer, but everywhere else it says they like high flow. So a little confused by that! But I think I'm definitely gonna get one for my 40 gallon. The plan for the 40 is a pair of Clowns + Anemone, Royal Gramma or Exquisite Firefish. And Starry Blenny. Anybody see any compatibility issues? (It'll be a Zoa garden with a two or three LPSes on the sand bed.)

I have 2 Icecap 2K Gyres in my 40 breeder, so there is some good flow. He is able to swim and catch brine shrimp, in fact he can move really fast for short distances. When the flow does get high for him, he bites onto stuff to hold on, just like people say when you read about them. It’s super cute!

I’m still watching him like a hawk. I don’t 100% trust him with my clams yet, but so far he doesn’t care about anything other than food.

 

[DmitryB]

I have 2 Icecap 2K Gyres in my 40 breeder, so there is some good flow. He is able to swim and catch brine shrimp, in fact he can move really fast for short distances. When the flow does get high for him, he bites onto stuff to hold on, just like people say when you read about them. It’s super cute!

I’m still watching him like a hawk. I don’t 100% trust him with my clams yet, but so far he doesn’t care about anything other than food.

I'm glad you started this thread! This fish was not on my radar at all. But now it's a "Definite!"

 

[RobertK]

Cute little fish. I want one! Who are its tankmates and how do they get along?

 

[BriDroid]

Cute little fish. I want one! Who are its tankmates and how do they get along?

Everyone completely ignores it. He’s in with a yellow Cori’s wrasse, an azure damsel, fire fish, link’s goby, Banggai cardinal, and a small clown. He’s still pretty shy, but shoots out to grab food. He’s surprisingly fast when there’s food involved.

 

[RobertK]

Everyone completely ignores it. He’s in with a yellow Cori’s wrasse, an azure damsel, fire fish, link’s goby, Banggai cardinal, and a small clown. He’s still pretty shy, but shoots out to grab food. He’s surprisingly fast when there’s food involved.

That's great! I wonder how it would do with slightly larger and more aggressive fish like a yellow tang and bicolor angel.

 

[Ron Popeil]

these are one of my favorite fish. super personality. they arent afraid to elbow in between larger fish like tangs and angels. and are very reef safe. i just love them.

 

[DmitryB]

Ok I got a tiny little feller in my 40 gallon. Tried to take a photo, but the blue light just washes him out. He was out front immediately. Does not hide at all. Picking at rocks, loves brine shrimp, spits out Mysis (Hakari) , not sure about pellets yet. What else can I feed him? I'm going to harvest some live brine baby shrimp, but that's not a regular diet. So besides spirulina enriched brine, what else have you found they like?

Baby Coral Beauty, which has been hiding since I got him weeks ago, came out to inspect him a bunch of times, but more of a "swim and run" inspection. And hopefully this guy being out all the time encourages Coral Beauty to be less shy.

 

[BriDroid]

Mine is eating SBB spirulina brine, Hikari spirulina mysis and regular mysis. He does like the brine best. He also pics at the Reef Nutrition stuff that i dose through my aF4 autofeeder; brine, mysis, calanus , and other smaller stuff. He is fat and happy but does spend a lot of time under the gyre's but comes out like a little bullet when I do feed the tank.

 

[BriDroid]

It's been 2 weeks and the little guy LOVEs small Chromaboost TDO, Hikari Frozen Omega Brine, Spirulina Brine, and Spirulina Mysis! He has grown noticeably bigger since I got him a couple of weeks ago. He still doesn't mess with any inverts or fish, and the couple of fish who didn't like him at first, now leave him alone.

 

[JBReefer23]

I have those pesky Digitate hydroids, closing up Zoas in my aquarium. Have you seen a decrease in the hydroids in your aquarium?

 

[BriDroid]

I have those pesky Digitate hydroids, closing up Zoas in my aquarium. Have you seen a decrease in the hydroids in your aquarium?

It's hard to tell since it's only been a few weeks and he is still really small. I think there are less of them, maybe? I feel like when he get's bigger he will do a better job.

 

[BriDroid]

I have those pesky Digitate hydroids, closing up Zoas in my aquarium. Have you seen a decrease in the hydroids in your aquarium?

Well, he’s started to decimate the hydroids. All I had to do was slow down the frozen brine and mysis for a couple of days making him hunt the rocks for food. I have zero digitate hydroid tentacles sticking out of my rocks today. If he hasn’t eaten them they are at least scared to extend their feeding tentacles! I like this little guy even more now! He’s growing like a weed too!

 

[JBReefer23]

Well, he’s started to decimate the hydroids. All I had to do was slow down the frozen brine and mysis for a couple of days making him hunt the rocks for food. I have zero digitate hydroid tentacles sticking out of my rocks today. If he hasn’t eaten them they are at least scared to extend their feeding tentacles! I like this little guy even more now! He’s growing like a weed too!

Good to know the filefish is doing great and eating the hydroids, go go go get them pesky critters. I read the hydroids come out at night mostly. (Filter feeders) mine seem to come out when the lights are on, because there hungry & starving. I have stopped "feeding the tank"......since I have no fish and only soft corals, so trying out to starve them could be an option. But this might be difficult if you have corals and fish that need supplements.