Latin name | Aeoliscus punctulatus |
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Local name | Speckled shrimpfish |
Family | Centriscidae - Aeoliscus |
Origin | East Indian Ocean, West Indian Ocean, The Red Sea |
Max length | 15 cm (5.9") |
Minimum volume | 200 l (53 gal) |
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Hardiness | Average |
Suitable for aquarium | Suitable for special aquariums |
Reef safe | Always reef safe |
Aggressiveness | Peaceful |
Recommended |
Fish Small crustaceans (Krill, mysis, artemia...) Zooplankton (Cyclops, pods...) |
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This species requires feeding 4 or more times a day.
This species often becomes malnourished in captivity, it is therefore important to enrich their food with omega-3 and vitamins.
This species must have live food in order to survive for any length of time in the aquarium.
This could consist of live Artemia (Brine shrimp) or similar.
This species thrives best when there is a sufficiently large amount of micro life (copepods, amphipods or similar) in the aquarium, so that the it can always find their own food.
This species thrives best in an aquarium with overhangs and caves.
This species thrives best if it is kept in a group of five or more individuals.
Shrimpfishes (Centriscidae) have a very characteristic way of swimming where they stay vertical whilst having their heads pointed downwards.
They have similar needs to Pipefish, to which they are related. It is easiest to keep them in a small aquarium with gentle water circulation and without food competitors, predatory fish, crabs or similar.
As Shrimpfish do not often eat frozen food, it is important that they are fed live feed, if there isn't enough zooplankton in the aquarium it self. This could be enriched live zooplankton, or fish fry.
They must be fed continuously, so if there are not enough zooplankton in the tank, an automatic feeder for live food could be necessary.
Shrimpfish should be kept in a small group and are not normally aggressive towards other fish.
Scott W. Michael. 2001. Reef Fishes volume 1 - TFH Publications / Microcosm Ltd. - (English)
Bob Fenner. Shrimpfishes, Family Centriscidae, Darlings of the Public Aquarium Interest - Wet Web Media - (English)
2009. Care of Striped Shrimpfish - Reef Central - (English)
Minimum volume
"Minimum volume" indicates the size of the tank needed to house this species under optimal conditions.
This is based on a medium size animal, which you want to keep for several years.
It might be possible to keep smaller specimens for a limited period in a smaller tank. A larger tank might be needed for fully-grown specimens.
Hardiness
"Hardiness" indicates how resistant this species is to disease and how well i tolerates bad conditions in general.
Some species doesn't handle transportation very well, but that doesn't mean that the species isn't hardy under the right conditions.
Suitable for aquarium
In this case, a "normal" aquarium is a reef aquarium with mixed corals or a fish only aquarium with an approximately salinity of 1.026 (sg) and a temperature close to 26°C.
Species requiring more than a 4000-liter tank are considered not suitable for home aquarium.
Special aquariums may cover tanks with low salinity, sub-tropical temperature, deep sand bed, sea grass etc.
Reef safe
Always reef safe: No sources indicate that this species will harm corals or other invertebrates.
Often reef safe: Only a few aquarists has reported problems keeping this species with corals and other invertebrates.
Reef safe with caution: This species may be a threat to some types of invertebrates.
Reef safe with luck: Most specimens will harm corals and/or other invertebrates, but you might be lucky.
Not reef safe: This species is a threat to most corals and/or other invertebrates.