Platax pinnatus (Pinnatus Batfish)

[B|uEc@rpEt]

Dear reefers...

Have read a million sites listing this as one of the biggest no-nos of fishes to keep...

Most say- Low chance or survival rate and difficult to persuade it to eat frozen food...

Any reefers kept this fish b4? And if so...care to share some advice and experience on this beauty? And of course...if it is still alive in ya tank and how long has it been...

Tks!

[ozy]

I have only managed to keep the fish successfully for 2 months. It was such a pity because the specimen I get is only 2 inches high.

I guess the most difficult part was trying to get it to feed. I finally succeeded with Henry's food.

The other difficulty is trying to keep a low flow tank, while at the same time maintain the corals and water quality.

[B|uEc@rpEt]

bro....any idea why it died?

as in it was eating all this while but suddenly died? or did you witness any tell-tale signs leading to its death...

Sorry about it n tks heaps for the info...

[iantoh]

bro bluec@rpet,

i think the pinnatus batfish is gorgeous too, especially whilst its a juvenile, but its an obligate corallivore, and feeds primarily on corals in the wild, so whilst it may consume some of the foods we can offer it in captivity, that is unlikely to meet its deitary needs. and like bro ozy mentioned, the need for low flow conditions is another difficult aspect. it could probably work with a macro algae dominated tank, with occasional corals placed within as supplemental food for the fish, but it would be tedious and expensive, and they grow to fantastic sizes so youd also need a huge tank.

[B|uEc@rpEt]

bro bluec@rpet,

i think the pinnatus batfish is gorgeous too, especially whilst its a juvenile, but its an obligate corallivore, and feeds primarily on corals in the wild, so whilst it may consume some of the foods we can offer it in captivity, that is unlikely to meet its deitary needs. and like bro ozy mentioned, the need for low flow conditions is another difficult aspect. it could probably work with a macro algae dominated tank, with occasional corals placed within as supplemental food for the fish, but it would be tedious and expensive, and they grow to fantastic sizes so youd also need a huge tank.

hey ian...

tks for ya info...

any idea wat type of corals do they eat?

pls advise...tks

[kueytoc]

Dear reefers...

Have read a million sites listing this as one of the biggest no-nos of fishes to keep...

Most say- Low chance or survival rate and difficult to persuade it to eat frozen food...

Any reefers kept this fish b4? And if so...care to share some advice and experience on this beauty? And of course...if it is still alive in ya tank and how long has it been...

Tks!

you may want to seek the advice from the boss of JIREH MARINE who has successfully kept them alive for ages...he may give you some helpful tips but don't forget to buy the fish from him lah !

[B|uEc@rpEt]

you may want to seek the advice from the boss of JIREH MARINE who has successfully kept them alive for ages...he may give you some helpful tips but don't forget to buy the fish from him lah !

hehehe...tks bro for the info!!!

will go pay him a visit on this...btw...i always tot the boss was a female...hehehe

[iantoh]

dear bro bluecarpet,

check out this article on batfishes from wetwebmedia- its pretty good:http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spadfsh.htm

it doesnt state in this article that their corallivores, but you can try searching fishweb for that. primarily, even if they accept captive foods, the issue would be with their eventual size. they grow up to two feet within 5 years in the wild, so they will eventually outgrow most systems. you can see adult pinnatus batfish at the underwater world, and their primarily omnivorous in adulthood, but they are huge, like bigger than a steering wheel kind.

do tell us how you go if you do decide to keep one ya.

cheers,

ian

[kueytoc]

hehehe...tks bro for the info!!!

will go pay him a visit on this...btw...i always tot the boss was a female...hehehe

the lady is his wife...very nice lady but good sales skills...be warned ...hee hee hee