Latin name | Assessor flavissimus - Allen & Kuiter, 1976 |
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Local name | Yellow devilfish |
Family | Plesiopidae - Assessor |
Origin | |
Max length | 6 cm (2.4") |
Minimum volume | 50 l (13 gal) |
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Hardiness | Hardy |
Suitable for aquarium | Suitable for most aquarium |
Reef safe | Always reef safe |
Aggressiveness | Mostly peaceful but might be aggressive towards similar species |
Recommended |
Small crustaceans (Krill, mysis, artemia...) Zooplankton (Cyclops, pods...) |
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They can live as a pair provided they are introduced simultaneously.
This species needs good hiding places, for example, between live rocks.
This species is very shy and docile, so one should be careful when keeping it with more aggressive fish.
Known to occasionally swim upside down.
There are several intriguing species of Roundheads (Plesiopidae) which are both interesting and easy to keep.
In the wild, most species will stay hidden and hunt at night, they mimic this behaviour in the aquarium so they are not often seen during daylight hours, although they will appear more in time.
These fish are generally quite hardy if given a varied diet.
They are not well suited to tanks with fast or aggressive fish, as they might hide and therefore not get sufficient food.
One should avoid keeping them with Hawkfish, Triggerfish and aggressive Wrasses for example.
Below are short descriptions of the species most suited to aquaria.
Assessors
Pretty, small fish that somewhat resemble Grammas and Dottybacks.
They are hardy, max. 2.5 inches (6 cm) and reasonably peaceful. Suitable for both coral and nano aquariums.
Calloplesiops
A unique fish which is hardy when fed correctly, but does require extra attention when adjusting to life in captivity. They will not thrive when kept together with aggressive species.
Plesiops
These fish are very aggressive and not often seen in aquaria.
Most species do not get very big and can therefore be kept in smaller tanks.
Aquarium trade | Yes |
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Distribution | Western Central Pacific: Great Barrier Reef and Papua New Guinea. |
English common names |
Yellow devilfish Yellow scissortail |
Scott W. Michael. 2001. Basslets, Dottybacks & Hawkfishes: v. 2 (Reef Fishes) - TFH Publications / Microcosm Ltd. - (English)
Bob Fenner. The Roundheads: (for petfish types mainly Assessors), Family Plesiopidae - Wet Web Media - (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.