Requirements for a longhorn cowfish

[solastsummer]

I know these fish can kill other fish by excreting a toxin into the water, well I absolutly love these guys. What are the system requirements if i were to house a juv. longhorn cowfish? I would probably keep him alone so i dont loose a fortune in fish

[sassafrass]

You will need a species only tank so it will be able to eat without competition .I have yet to see anyone be successful in keeping this fish they require that the tank is in a quiet room (no sudden movements or lights off and on)and as they grow into adulthood the horns get shorter and thier colors turn dull also they can get wedged in rockwork and not be able to get out.
Lee

[sassafrass]

Also the books on them say Expert Only!
Lee

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I keep one in my main tank. IMO, the primary thing to realize is that they will get big. Very big. I have mine in a 120 gallon tank.

The huge flow that many folks have would not be optimal (mine gravitates to the low flow end that I have primarily for him).

You can see him here at his end of the tank:

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3491Randys_Tank_March_2__6_.jpg

[solastsummer]

that is absolutly georgous, i dont suppose i could keep one in a 60 could i?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks. :)

You'll need a plan of what to do when it gets 8-12 inches long. :D

[solastsummer]

well i have a 125 in storage... cant have it setup right now, im in a second floor apartment

[Playa-1]

They can get over 18" long.

[sassafrass]

Also keep in mind Randy Holmes- Farley is an expert
Regards , Lee

[t-bone2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12745791#post12745791 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sassafrass
You will need a species only tank so it will be able to eat without competition .I have yet to see anyone be successful in keeping this fish they require that the tank is in a quiet room (no sudden movements or lights off and on)and as they grow into adulthood the horns get shorter and thier colors turn dull also they can get wedged in rockwork and not be able to get out.
Lee
well meet t bone He's 10 inches long over 5 yrs old and is housed with a trigger and a yellow tang. when its feeding time he bullies he way right in there i guess he just doesn't carehttp://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj218/t-bone2_photos/P1000166.jpg[/IMG]

[sassafrass]

I read that out of the marine fishes handbook I have no personal experience except working at a LFS ,I also wanted to encourage solastsummer to get a little more experience.
Lee

[t-bone2]

agreed on the experience

[Playa-1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12748047#post12748047 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by t-bone2
well meet t bone He's 10 inches long over 5 yrs old and is housed with a trigger and a yellow tang. when its feeding time he bullies he way right in there i guess he just doesn't carehttp://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj218/t-bone2_photos/P1000166.jpg[/IMG]

T-bone looks like a cool fish :)

[RickySan]

wow beautiful!

[solastsummer]

Yeah, i just saw one at a lfs. I have learned better to buy live creatures on impulse. I thought i would ask