You don't see too much info on these guys, so I figured I'd share some info on my reticulate boxfish.
Boxfish feeding
I've had him for several years. Bought him when he was a little smaller than a quarter. I initially kept him in an in-tank refugium until I could get him eating. He took to hikari mysis pretty quickly and learned how to go to my feeding station on his own. Now I mostly feed him hikari mysis and lrs reef frenzy nano. Tried some nori and various other foods like pygmy angel formula, but he didn't seem to take to those.
He's pretty chill, doesn't attack snails or shrimp or my other fish. I haven't kept him with any large fish, so I don't know how timid he would be. The one exception was when I tried to add a second juvenile boxfish to get a pair. Again using an in-tank refugium/acclimation box, but my male went nuts. Colored up to a hard blue, then just swam back and forth displaying to the new juvenile. That little only only lasted a week. It was picking at food initially, but I think the stress of the big male kept it from getting comfortable. Either that or it could've been a cyanide collected fish.
I should note when that juvenile died, it took 3 of my other fish with it. I caught it early, so I was able to remove the fish and get a fresh bag of carbon in. But over the next 3 days I lost one fish at a time. 2 wrasses and 1 blenny. My other fish, coral, and inverts seemed unfazed.
Otherwise he's probably one of my favorite fishes. I've hand fed him, but that beak makes me nervous so I don't really do it anymore. He's like a puppy, always comes up when you approach begging for food. He doesn't run from my hand when I'm in the tank.
Last note, for a long time I had my tank without a cover because I didn't think this guy could leap out of the tank. That is until one day something spooked him and I saw him leap out. Luckily he hit my light fixture and fell back into the tank, then swam around with a mark on his nose for about a week before he was back to normal.
Anyways, not sure how much longer I'll have him. But I thought I should share some info on him before he's gone.
Boxfish feeding
I've had him for several years. Bought him when he was a little smaller than a quarter. I initially kept him in an in-tank refugium until I could get him eating. He took to hikari mysis pretty quickly and learned how to go to my feeding station on his own. Now I mostly feed him hikari mysis and lrs reef frenzy nano. Tried some nori and various other foods like pygmy angel formula, but he didn't seem to take to those.
He's pretty chill, doesn't attack snails or shrimp or my other fish. I haven't kept him with any large fish, so I don't know how timid he would be. The one exception was when I tried to add a second juvenile boxfish to get a pair. Again using an in-tank refugium/acclimation box, but my male went nuts. Colored up to a hard blue, then just swam back and forth displaying to the new juvenile. That little only only lasted a week. It was picking at food initially, but I think the stress of the big male kept it from getting comfortable. Either that or it could've been a cyanide collected fish.
I should note when that juvenile died, it took 3 of my other fish with it. I caught it early, so I was able to remove the fish and get a fresh bag of carbon in. But over the next 3 days I lost one fish at a time. 2 wrasses and 1 blenny. My other fish, coral, and inverts seemed unfazed.
Otherwise he's probably one of my favorite fishes. I've hand fed him, but that beak makes me nervous so I don't really do it anymore. He's like a puppy, always comes up when you approach begging for food. He doesn't run from my hand when I'm in the tank.
Last note, for a long time I had my tank without a cover because I didn't think this guy could leap out of the tank. That is until one day something spooked him and I saw him leap out. Luckily he hit my light fixture and fell back into the tank, then swam around with a mark on his nose for about a week before he was back to normal.
Anyways, not sure how much longer I'll have him. But I thought I should share some info on him before he's gone.
