Foxface Rabbitfish Question

[Frag Freaks]

I have a few questions about this fish. I have been battling algea problems for the past month (nothing to serious). I only have two fish in my 65g that has been set up for almost two years with the two original fish I started with. (I had a bunch at one point)

I had an ich breakout over the summer and lost everything except for my watchman goby and my clown and havent bought a new fish since.

I was looking to kill a few birds with one stone I guess. I am looking to add another fish along with a fish that will take care of a variety algea types.

So now to the questions:

1. How suitable is a foxface for a 65g?

2. Generally how reef safe is this type of fish?

3. I know they are venomous, will I have to worry about this fish attacking and killing other tankmates, along with leaving me with a very bad sting if I get caught with a fin if i put my hand in the tank? So basically are they for the most part peaceful?

4. If i got a angelfish at some point (thinking a coral beauty) will they be ok together?

 

[JohnK]

In general rabbitfish grow very big and should be in bigger tanks. Most often they will eat lots of difficult algae that other fish don't like. They can be kind of hit or miss on being reef safe, many are fine, but sometimes you hear of one that decides to start eating something you don't want it to.

FWIW, I've got a brown spotted rabbitfish (I think that's the name but I'll have to double check) hanging out with nothing to do. If you'd like to borrow it for a while to "clean house" so to speak I'd be up for it. Right now this fish is just hanging around in a 75 by itself. I think it's quite board and would love some nice hair or other algae to munch on.

jk

 

[Frag Freaks]

I would hate to borrow the fish in case something ever happened I would feel terrible.

As for the size issue, yeah I would really hate to buy a fish and then have to sell it it away in a few years when it outgrows my tank, but then again if will take care some of this algea that nothing else will it, I guess it could be worth it.

Typically if bought small, say around 2-3 inches or so, what would the growth rate be on a foxface. How long could I keep it in my 65g before he out grows it.

 

[JD46]

I have a scribbled rabbitfish. Got it when it was around 3". It grew incredibly fast, reaching ~7" (should be full size) within 6 months. It gets along great with all other fish and only raises its dorsal fins to itself in the glass or when spooked. So, you definitely have to keep an eye on it when your hand is in the tank. Mine also was a bit of a miss. I was hoping it would keep the valonia in check, but apparently has no interest in it.

JD

 

[JohnK]

I can't say on the growth rate, but I know they get BIG.

FWIW, I offer my fish as a loaner largely because I feel bad keeping it couped up in a 75 with nothing to do. I accept the risk of offering it out on loan and since you have a 3 ft tank I'd think a loaner rabbit would be a better option than buying one only to have to sell or give it away in a relatively short time. If your interested at all in my offer, take me up on it and I won't hold you responsible if something happens to the fish.

Overall though, IMO no rabbitfish belongs in a 3 ft tank for any period of time. (but a visit for a few weeks won't hurt it).

 

[Reefried]

I dont know about tank size or growth speed, but in my last tank, a 90 corner, I had a small foxface, (a one spot foxface) and it ate EVERYTHING.(meaning every algea sp.). I kept an in tank fuge for denitrification purposes, and he broke into it and ate every last bit of chaeto,[sp] (which I've had people tell me "no fish eats, its too brittle"), and saw blade caluerpa. So IMO its a very good choice for eating your algea. I couldn't grow any type of algea, good or bad with that fish in my tank. But he was a beautiful fish, very active and it didn't bother any other fish, which at the time were two three stripe damsels (bullys they use to attack my arm), a true perc clown, and a mandarin.

 

[Frag Freaks]

I can't say on the growth rate, but I know they get BIG.

FWIW, I offer my fish as a loaner largely because I feel bad keeping it couped up in a 75 with nothing to do. I accept the risk of offering it out on loan and since you have a 3 ft tank I'd think a loaner rabbit would be a better option than buying one only to have to sell or give it away in a relatively short time. If your interested at all in my offer, take me up on it and I won't hold you responsible if something happens to the fish.

Overall though, IMO no rabbitfish belongs in a 3 ft tank for any period of time. (but a visit for a few weeks won't hurt it).

How big is your rabbitfish now?

 

[stingythingy45]

Just one word of caution.
If you had ich in your tank this summer there may still be ich in there now.
Especially if the tank wasn't left fallow for 4-6 weeks.Just be ready cause any new fish will instantly be an ich magnet.And a foxface is just like a Tang IME.
I had one for almost 3 weeks and it just up and died one morning.

 

[Frag Freaks]

Just one word of caution.
If you had ich in your tank this summer there may still be ich in there now.
Especially if the tank wasn't left fallow for 4-6 weeks.Just be ready cause any new fish will instantly be an ich magnet.And a foxface is just like a Tang IME.
I had one for almost 3 weeks and it just up and died one morning.

I do have a QT tank. I ran Hypo on all my tank mates. Unfortuntately the clown and the goby were the only to survive. Tank was empty for 8 weeks actually just to make sure. I used that time to rescape the rocks and just do some coral stocking.

I didnt want ich to be an ongoing battle so I did it the right way.

 

[stingythingy45]

I do have a QT tank. I ran Hypo on all my tank mates. Unfortuntately the clown and the goby were the only to survive. Tank was empty for 8 weeks actually just to make sure. I used that time to rescape the rocks and just do some coral stocking.

I didnt want ich to be an ongoing battle so I did it the right way.

Cool...
If I didn't have a QT tank set up I would look for a fish from another member.
Or definitely set up a temporary one.
Well,one that you can trust anyways.
My foxface seemed to do just fine the time that I had him.
It was never aggressive any way shape or form.If bother it would raise up the imfamous spines and go vertical.I have no idea why mine died.I do know that a fellow reefer bought one from the same LFS and it showed the same symtoms before dying.Both were eating,one day they just started to get pushed around by the current,dead the next morning.

 

[Frag Freaks]

Well it doesn't look like I will be going down this route. I wish I could but my tank just inst big enough and will have to look for other options to completely rid of whats left of some of the algea in my tank.

I have a little bit of bubble algea left, most of it I picked out by and or took out the rock and scrubbed it. I do have emeralds that seem to be doing their job with the stuff I cant reach.

Other than that I have a small patch here and there of hair algea nothing overwhelming I just thought I could get a cool fish and take care of some algea at the same time.

Might have to go down the route of a dwarf angel again. I had an awesome flame that died in that ich breakout, but really didnt touch any of the hair algea, maybe I will try a different species this time. Possibly a coral beauty.

 

[stingythingy45]

I have tufts of HA and a little caulerpa here and there.
My next purchase is most likely going to be a Phosphate reactor.
I'm hearing really good things about this and look forward to setting one up HOB style.Probably a $35 Twolittlefishes one with some type of media.I hear this stuff called "ReefPure PHOSaR"works wonders.

 

[JohnK]

the rabbit I'm talking about is about 4". It's in a Qt anyway so I'd just re-hypo it when I got it back to cover any Ick concerns.


BTW, if anyone is in the market for a spotted rabbitfish I have one for sale cheap (or free to an appropriate home - ie 180G plus system)

 

[Frag Freaks]

the rabbit I'm talking about is about 4". It's in a Qt anyway so I'd just re-hypo it when I got it back to cover any Ick concerns.


BTW, if anyone is in the market for a spotted rabbitfish I have one for sale cheap (or free to an appropriate home - ie 180G plus system)

I think I will have to pass but it is very nice of you to have offered.