Latin name | Tetrosomus gibbosus - (Linnaeus, 1758) |
---|---|
Local name | Humpback turretfish |
Family | Ostraciidae - Tetrosomus |
Origin | East Indian Ocean, West Indian Ocean, Australia, Japan, The Red Sea, Indonesia, New Zealand, Central/West Pacific |
Max length | 30 cm (11.8") |
Minimum volume | 2000 l (528 gal) |
---|---|
Hardiness | Unknown |
Suitable for aquarium | Suitable with care |
Reef safe | Not reef safe |
Aggressiveness | Unknown |
Recommended |
Small crustaceans (Krill, mysis, artemia...) Zooplankton (Cyclops, pods...) |
---|---|
Mostly |
Larger crustaceans (Shrimp, crabs...) Other invertebrates |
This species likes to eat tubeworms.
This species poses a threat towards shrimps and crabs etc., which are relatively small.
This species has a toxin in its skin, which it releases when highly stressed or dying.
This poison can kill all the aquatic life in the aquarium, if unlucky.
This species cannot maneuver in strong currents, especially so when small.
Pay particular attention to the pump’s water inlet as these fish in certain circumstances, can get stuck.
These fish eat exceptionally slowly and can be very selective feeders.
It can therefore be problematic to provide it with a sufficient and varied diet, in an aquarium with other, faster feeding species.
This species often has a fun and interesting personality.
This species needs good hiding places, for example, between live rocks.
Boxfish(Ostraciidae) have a unique square shape and a particular way of swimming.
They have a rather special personality, which one quickly comes to love.
Boxfish live typically off a mixture of algae, coral polyps, zooplankton, and in some cases crustaceans.
They are not normally reef safe and when small will require gentle water circulation.
Boxfish can secrete a poison when stressed or if they die, which can in the worst case, kill the contents of a whole aquarium.
Never use the water the fish was transported in.
Distribution | Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea (Ref. 3141) and East Africa to Indonesia, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia. Immigrated into the southeastern Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. |
---|---|
Danish common names |
Trekantet kuffertfisk |
English common names |
Humpback turretfish Hunchback turretfish |
French common names |
Poisson-coffre pyramide |
Bob Fenner. The Puffers Called Box-, Cowfishes, family Ostraciidae - Wet Web Media - (English)
Richard Aspinall. 2012. Oddballs for the Marine Aquarium - Tropical Fish Hobbyist - (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.