Foxface

[Rue]

My algae has a very good hold on my tank. On the plus side, the water is very clean!

Normally I would never get a critter unsuited for a tank - I did however make an exception this time.

I ordered a small foxface rabbitfish about 3-4 months ago. Yesterday, one finally showed up at my reef-store so I brought him home! He's about 3" now, and I don't know how slow they grow, but I've already made arrangements to rehome him when he's outgrown my tank.

His job is to eat all the algae that I can't get cleaned up manually. And I'm taking hair algae and bryopsis that are smothering some of my zoas and my sun coral. I'll then feed him if necessary.

He was so stressed yesterday! He was all mottled grey. After I acclimated him to the tank, he managed to disappear and none of us could find him, so I was a bit worried. However when I checked this morning he was visible (hiding at the back of the tank in the rockwork) and looking better. I hope we're over the 'worst' of it with him now.

I just gotta remember about his poisonous spine next time I stick my hand in the tank...:c1:

[spudbuds]

Those are cool fish. Congrats! Can't wait to see pics of him. :sbiggrin:

[cocoa_pleco]

lol, sometimes i can never find mine, theyre good hiders

[jimpierce]

those are cool looking fish. I would have never thoughht somebody would name anything with "rabbit" and "fox" in the same name. lol

[Rue]

Yeah, I found that odd too...:hmm3grin2orange:

I'll try and get some pictures as soon as he's out of hiding and looking nice and yellow...

[cocoa_pleco]

they do hide alot though, when i first got mine he went MIA for about 20 hours and i thought he commited suicide

[jbeining75]

I just googled them...Pretty cool. if they ever come out snap some pics lol.....

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Jamie, my avatar is a Foxface. :) Great fish for sure. Rue, just a note on the spines, while they are venomus they are not deadly. You can gauge your reaction to a Foxface strike by how you react to a bee sting. If you have really bad reactions to bees then you will have a bad reaction to the Foxface. However if you don't get a bad reaction, just a sore spot that turns red and hurts like mad, then that's about what you will get with a Foxface. I don't react bad to bees but I still don't take any chances, I use gloves or my my Hemostat to work in the tank. I have only come close to getting stung once.

[Rue]

Actually I do react to bee stings...not an allergic reaction...but a dramatic reaction none-the-less...:c2:

I used to do research with honey bees...

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Probably will want the gloves then. file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/HP_Owner/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-3.jpg

[Drumachine09]

Probably will want the gloves then. file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/HP_Owner/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-3.jpg



Haha, you can't hotlink to your PC, lol.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

That's odd. That wasn't there when I originally posted it. What the hay happened there?

[Kaga's Kritters]

Jamie, my avatar is a Foxface. :)

wow, never heard of one before....i dont know much about SW fish anyway....but that is one interesting looking fish....lots of SW fish are real neat looking....maybe someday i will have a SW tank.

[Rue]

I have to admit, he's pretty cute.:1luvu:

I didn't get him for his looks though...I got him for his house-keeping abilities...:laugh1blue:

[cocoa_pleco]

I got him for his house-keeping abilities...:laugh1blue:

slavery! lol:hmm3grin2orange:

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Marriage of convenience LOL

Mine is a terrible housekeeper. It doesn't eat algae at all. He snaps up meaty foods all the time though.

[Rue]

For a couple of days I was worried about the foxface, because I didn't see him at all. He must have been hiding in the 'caves' to the back of the tank, that I can't see into. But thankfully he's alright! He's also eating, some of the hair algae around my zoas is disappearing - I'm assuming it's him. Housekeeping!!! Woohoo!

However, I'm a little worried about his eyes. He won't hold still when he's out in the open, so I can't get a good look, but his eyes seem to have a matt finish to them vs. the shiny eyes of the clowns and pajama cardinals. I haven't seen any other signs of ill-health (from the rapid glimpses I get), so I'm wondering if the eye colouration is normal? Plus, he can obviously see me...or he wouldn't be rushing to hide that fast...

Otherwise, my pipefish has disappeared...no sign of him...I think a coral might have eaten him, but I have no proof...bummer. We were all very fond of him!