velvet fish, Caracanthus madagascariensis

[csababubbles]

Lee,

Do you have any personal experience or general info about velvet fish, Caracanthus madagascariensis? I could not find much useful captive care info on it after an extensive internet search.

Thanks!

 

[DeepWaterRock]

I had 2 for a short period. One died in QT and the other I assume has persished since I have not seem it in my 220 for a loooong time now.

They are in the scorpion family and are thought to have venomous spines (don't know how potent they are if it is true so caution is a must).

They live inside coral heads just like clown gobies....they will eat all sorts of meaty food including tiny fish. Target feeding is a must as they won't actively feed from the water column. So if you have agressive feeders these little guys might not get any of the food and slowly starve.

That being said they are a cool little fish....IMO more suited to a nano type tank.

 

[csababubbles]

I pretty much got the same info as you did. I have a pair of them that I will move into their very own 45 cube with a single piece of live rock in the display and a couple of frags of sps I took from my reef tank that will grow into a nice home for them soon enough. They don't move much I read so not very centerpiece-type fish but then again they are said to consume small shrimp & fish while at the same time being timid and hiding quite a bit so its going to be very difficult to select the best tankmates so thats why I'm posting to find out more on their behavior and such. I saw a video of one on the computer and they just sit there in the heads and seem to be lurking waiting for something to go by. So I am assuming they are not munching on detritus and algae and such but instead laying in wait for their prey. So I plan to provide them with a carnivorous diet.

So far I learned:
1) timid so need to be spot-fed if kept with more competitive fish
2) not THAT timid, because it will eat small fish and shrimp
3) eats most food items commonly offered in captivity, including pieces that are surprisingly larger then its mouth
4) lives in coral heads so providing one or two for them in captivity would seem to be a good idea
5) this is not a very commonly kept fish so not many people have experience with them!

 

[leebca]

You have an excellent handle on these little wonders.