Latin name | Oxymonacanthus longirostris - (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) |
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Local name | Harlequin filefish |
Family | Monacanthidae - Oxymonacanthus |
Origin | East Indian Ocean, West Indian Ocean, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Central/West Pacific |
Max length | 12 cm (4.7") |
Minimum volume | 400 l (106 gal) |
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Hardiness | Average |
Suitable for aquarium | Experience, preparation and extra care required |
Reef safe | Not reef safe |
Aggressiveness | Mostly peaceful but might be aggressive towards similar species |
Recommended |
Small polyp stone coral (SPS) |
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Maybee |
Small crustaceans (Krill, mysis, artemia...) |
These fish normally eat for the most part, coral polyps, therefore problems can arise in captivity when trying to give it an alternative food.
It is therefore essential to be well prepared before acquiring them.
However well prepared, there will be a large percentage, that will die after a short time in captivity.
It may mean having to keep live acropora as food, in order to keep these fish alive whilst they are getting accustomed to alternative types of food.
This species can live as a pair (male and female).
This species needs good hiding places, for example, between live rocks.
This species revels in swimming and requires an aquarium with ample space.
This species can be very shy when first introduced into a new aquarium.
More aggressive fish can be introduced after this species has acclimatized.
Filefish (Monacanthidae) have a very characteristic appearance, but whether one likes them or not is a matter of taste.
Some species are suitable for aquaria, although they will occasionally eat a coral or invertebrate. They are therefore not so well suited to coral tanks.
They are often used to fight glass anemones (Aiptasia) and Majano anemones. Pervagor nigrolineatus is especially good at this.
They need peace and quiet from both the aquarist and other fish, when adjusting to the tank life.
Be careful when catching them, as they easily becomes caught in the net.
Aquarium trade | Yes |
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Distribution | Indo-Pacific: East Africa south to Maputo, Mozambique (Ref. 4421) and east to Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to the southern Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, and Tonga. Replaced by Oxymonacanthus halli in the Red Sea. |
English common names |
Longnose filefish Longnosed filefish Coral filefish Harlequin filefish Beaked leatherjacket |
French common names |
Lime à taches oranges Poisson lime à taches oranges |
Danish common names |
Langsnudet filfisk |
German common names |
Orangepunkt-Feilenfisch |
2010. Success with the Harlequin Filefish, Oxymonacanthus longirostris - Reef Builders (English)
Dave Wolfenden. 2013. Filefish: A bit of rough! - Practical Fishkeeping - (English)
Scott W. Michael. Can You Add Filefish to a Reef Tank? - Fish Channel - (English)
Bob Fenner. Filefishes, Family Monacanthidae, Part I, Part II, Part III - Wet Web Media - (English)
Scott W. Michael. Those Fabulous Filefish - Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine - (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.