Glossary:
In the market for a larger fish that can add some color and entertainment value to your tank? The Scrawled filefish, or Aluterus scriptus, might be a good option if you have the space and can afford this particular species.
Here you’ll learn more about this fish and whether it’s right for your aquarium.
If you’re looking for a reef-safe fish, you may want to avoid the Scrawled filefish. This fish is known for eating and picking at just about everything, including coral and other invertebrates from shrimp to crustaceans. This makes them more suitable for a tank exclusively reserved for fish.
The Scrawled filefish will eat a wide range of foods, including algae, coral, gorgonians, tunicates, seagrass, colonial anemones, and hydrozoans. If they can, they’ll also eat many types of invertebrates such as crabs and shrimp.
Interestingly, the Scrawled filefish is potentially poisonous, but only when eaten. It has the toxin “palytoxin” in its organs and gastrointestinal tract. At this time, there aren’t any reports of people dying from this toxin from this particular fish, but farm animals have eaten and died from consuming Scrawled filefish.
This fish is widespread all over the world. You can find the Scrawled filefish across the Western Atlantic, including Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, Nova Scotia, and Canada. This fish is also in areas of the Eastern Atlantic, such as Cape Verde, and South Africa.
Like other types of filefish, the Scrawled filefish has small teeth that help them nip on coral and mollusks.
The Scrawled filefish is among the more expensive filefish you’ll find out there, with pricing for the Scrawled filefish generally around $300 to over $1,000, depending on the size and rarity. You’re also likely to find them out of stock at many online stores, making it important to keep an eye out if you’re really interested in getting one.
Here are some interesting facts worth knowing about the Scrawled filefish:
The Scrawled filefish thrives when it’s with other peaceful fish that aren’t aggressive and likely to attack it. It’s a highly defensive fish—it has a tendency to hide in any nearby crevices and lodge itself in them using its anterior and posterior spines, which can make it hard for predators to remove them.
Keep this fish with others that won’t threaten it, and you’ll have a happy Scrawled filefish to add to your tank.
If you want to purchase a Scrawled filefish for your aquarium, you may be able to find one at many vendors, including these online shops:
If you have the budget and the space for this species, and you’re not planning on adding it to a reef tank, the Scrawled filefish is a potentially impressive addition that can complement the rest of your aquarium’s inhabitants.