Filefish Hovering near reef

Aiptasia Eating Filefish Care Guide

Glossary:

  1. Care Guide & Requirements
  2. Reef Safe
  3. Prices
  4. Food & Diet
  5. Facts
  6. Tank Mates & Environment
  7. FAQs

The Aiptasia eating filefish, i.e. Acreichthys tomentosus, is a great fish to add to a tank if you need to get rid of the Aiptasia anemone that could otherwise cause certain problems. This filefish may help keep your tank clean while entertaining you with its camouflaging capabilities.

Here we’ll help you determine whether the Aiptasia eating filefish is a good fit for your tank.

Is the Aiptasia eating filefish reef safe?

If you own a reef tank, the Aiptasia eating filefish can make for a welcome addition. However, they may consume your Aiptasia anemone’s polyps if you’re not careful, so you want to ensure there’s plenty of other food to keep them satisfied. Basically, as long as you have plenty of meaty foods to satiate your filefish, you won’t need to worry about them going after your corals or other invertebrates.

Aiptasia eating filefish food and diet

The Aiptasia eating filefish’s diet is pretty diverse. While the fish may go after Aiptasia in many cases, some members of this species might not ever take a liking to it.

The diet of this particular fish could consist of:

  • Squid
  • Shaved shrimp
  • Mysis shrimp
  • Scallops
  • Frozen marine algae
  • Vitamin-soaked and freeze-dried krill

Aiptasia eating filefish FAQs

How many Aiptasia eating filefish should you have?

Like other types of filefish, you can keep two Aptasia eating filefish in the same tank because of their similar temperament, but you must ensure you have a large tank that can accommodate them.

What exactly do Aiptasia eating filefish eat?

Aiptasia eating filefish specifically eat a type of anemone known as Aiptasia. However, in captivity, you can feed these fish a variety of foods beyond Aiptasia. They can eat squid, shrimp, vitamin-enriched krill, and algae.

Do all filefish eat Aiptasia?

Some filefish like Aiptasia, while others don’t eat this anemone at all. Their broad diet makes their taste for Aiptasia vary from fish to fish. They can eat many types of sealife, leading some filefish to eat Aiptasia only after a period of exposure to it.

Aiptasia eating filefish price

The price of Aiptasia eating filefish can vary from shop to shop, but you can generally find them for around $50 to $100.

Aiptasia eating filefish facts

The following are some interesting facts about the Aiphasia eating filefish that you might want to know:

  1. This fish also goes by the names Matted Leatherjacket, the Tomentosus filefish, the Matted filefish, and the Bristletail filefish.
  2. When fully grown, the Aiptasia eating filefish is around four to five inches in length. As such, you’ll want a tank that’s at least 30 gallons.
  3. These fish can live for a relatively long time, with aquarists able to keep them for around four to six years in captivity.

What other fish are the best tank mates for the Aiptasia eating filefish?

As a relatively peaceful fish, the Aiptasia eating filefish will likely get along with most tank mates, but you’ll want to stick with other peaceful species. Otherwise, your filefish might find itself out-competed and starving.

A few examples of compatible tank mates for the Aiptasia eating filefish include larger species of pufferfish, angelfish, and triggerfish. Meanwhile, you should avoid smaller species along with potential aggressors such as lionfish.

Where to buy Aiptasia eating filefish

You can buy Aiptasia eating filefish at many aquarium shops, including the following: