Razorfish/Shrimpfish

[Rispa]

Do any of you keep them off have kept them? Does anyone know anything about their reproducing? I found a paper about it in another language ND some basic info about their husbandry but it didn't seem like people have put out any info recently.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Does anyone in the #reefsquad have any experience with these fish?

 

[melypr1985]

I'm pretty sure that @Paul B has kept shrimpfish and since everything he has breeds in his tank, then he must know something helpful here.

 

[Rispa]

I'm pretty sure that @Paul B has kept shrimpfish and since everything he has breeds in his tank, then he must know something helpful here.

Thanks, I've been browsing his threads.

Can anyone translate this? https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAGegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw1xtlzJmC2aN5zwnQDfXk5m

 

[Rispa]

This article has the most informative I've found so far.
https://www.aquarium.co.za/blog/entry/razorfish-larval-rearing

Okay I think I'm going to focus on learning about food setups and sea urchin care first

 

[Paul B]

You can see some here at my feeder.


Not a real easy fish because they can and should eat new born brine shrimp constantly, like many more than mandarins. They are very thin and have no fat reserves that I can tell. I also don't think they will eat anything that is not in the water column. I have kept them a few times and none of them were successful ventures in my mixed reef. You can probably keep them in a separate tank by constantly hatching shrimp.
I really like them but I can't keep them for long in my tank with so many other fish that eat the same food. I wish I could.

 

[Rispa]

You can see some here at my feeder.


Not a real easy fish because they can and should eat new born brine shrimp constantly, like many more than mandarins. They are very thin and have no fat reserves that I can tell. I also don't think they will eat anything that is not in the water column. I have kept them a few times and none of them were successful ventures in my mixed reef. You can probably keep them in a separate tank by constantly hatching shrimp.
I really like them but I can't keep them for long in my tank with so many other fish that eat the same food. I wish I could.

I'm planning to create a tank around their needs and I'm going to try my hand at growing different livefoods including mysis before I get them. Actually I can't decide which track to put them in. I was going to use a 40 gallon hex, but my mom is giving me her 10 year old 55 gallon, so that's another possibility. Which do you think that will be happier in? Do they prefer vertical or horizontal space to swim in? Whichever tank I go with will be converted into an urchin/shrimpfish tank for the purpose of attempting to keep and raise these fish.

 

[Paul B]

They should be Happy in either tank as they need verticle swimming room rather than horizontal room. They get about 6" long and only swim vertically unless they are in a hurry. I don't know if mysis will work because i didn 't try them, but they can continousely eat live brine shrimp and they are better in the feeder I made because they don't eat from the surface. I also doubt they will eat frozen food. In the sea they swim in sea urchin spines but they ignored by very large long spined urchin. Good luck, very interesting fish

 

[Rispa]

Which urchin do you think is best to keep with them?

 

[Paul B]

They live with long spined urchins.

 

[Rispa]

They live with long spined urchins.

Okay that's what I read too, so that's what I was going to try.

 

[Paul B]

Here's mine eating a piece of clam.

 

[Rispa]

I just read post about this guy. I think it's very cool that you were about to capture this.

 

[Paul B]

I give him a clam whenever he is good.

 

[Rispa]

I give him a clam whenever he is good.

Does he roll over when a clam is waved in front of him?

 

[Paul B]

Don't be ridiculous! He wags his tail and thanks me on Twitter

 

[Rispa]

Don't be ridiculous! He wags his tail and thanks me on Twitter

Do you have any idea if they would be okay in a tank with a bubble tip anemone. I'm finding I love the colors now adays. I originally set up the 55g 10 years ago and I do not remember colors like these. If not I may need to plan for a 3rd tank ...
1) pipefish (attempted) breeding with lots of different pipefish
2) shrimpfish and sea urchin (attempted) breeding
3) a tank filled with bubble tips
(plus all the freshwater tanks we have planned. Is there a place to post about freshwater on here? I about to go look for one.)

 

[Paul B]

Rispa I really have no idea how they would fare with anemones as I have not had anemones in many years. But I do remember once losing a pipefish and a seahorse to a pink tipped anemone.

 

[Rispa]

Rispa I really have no idea how they would fare with anemones as I have not had anemones in many years. But I do remember once losing a pipefish and a seahorse to a pink tipped anemone.

I'll be doing more reading and will post if I find anything that might answer this question. I do think that they seem to be better swimmers than pipefish and seahorses and they use a different part of the water column to swim in.

 

[Rispa]

@Paul B if you were to try a smaller variety of urchin with the shrimpfish what would it be and why?