Pinnatus Batfish
Platax pinnatus
Identification:
P. pinnatus are very peaceful, easy-going fish. While they will squabble with their own, they do very well with other peaceful species. Some good tankmates include, but are not limited to, all species of tangs and aquarium-suitable butterflyfish. With care, most angels are acceptable, too. Since young and juvenile batfish have fins that make irresistible targets for fin nippers like damsels, puffers, and triggers, these fish should be avoided as tankmates. Also known as the Dusky Batfish or the Longfin Batfish. The Pinnatus Batfish are usally found in shallow protected coastal waters. A very delicate fish, water quality must be perfect. They are a great community fish, but must be kept with non aggressive fish. Pinnatus batfish are native to the western tropics of the Pacific Ocean. They can be found from the Ryukyu Islands to Australia. They tend to be most common in Australia where they inhabit the waters off central Western Australia. They commonly spend much of their time cruising mangroves and inner, sheltered reefs in search of caves and ledges in which to seek shelter and food. In the wild they feed on mostly algae, but also crustaceans, various corals, anemones, jellyfish, and an assortment of zooplankton.
Tank Recommendations:
Pinnatus need a fairly large tank. While a Juvenile a 30 gallon will suffice, but once growing larger, a tank of at least 125 gallons with lots of open space to swim in is recommended. They are more suitable for a FOLWR (fish-only-with-live-rock) aquarium. The ideal aquarium should provide ample open swimming space as well as visual barriers, caves, and overhangs, but not so many that the ability to swim freely is impeded.
Food and diet:
All species of Platax are omnivorous, meaning they consume both animal proteins and plant matter. This diet should be replicated as accurately as possible in captivity. The acclimation/quarantine period is key to establishing the new fish's diet. Initially, it may be necessary to offer live food. If this is the case, depending on the size of the batfish, either live brine, mysid, or ghost shrimp should do the job. Regardless of which one is offered, they should all be gut-loaded and enriched with a vitamin supplement. As they adapt to feeding in the aquarium, prepared foods can gradually be offered to them. Being omnivorous, it is important to vary their diet. Pinnatus batfish absolutely relish shrimp, krill, crab, squid, bloodworms, and live and frozen brine and mysid shrimp, but their recently discovered need for algae cannot be neglected. For the home aquarium macroalgae is the best, such as fresh Chaetomorpha, Caulerpa racemosa, C. prolifera, and C. Mexicana, as these are commonly grown in many refugiums.
Level of Care:
Advanced or Expert Aquarist Only Not Guaranteed Beyond Live Arrival
Acclimaton Time:
4+ hours
Reef Compatibility
: Not reef safe, more suitable for a FOWLR (fish-only-with-live-rock) aquarium.
Approximate Purchase Size:
Small: 1" to 2" Medium: 2" to 3" Large: 3" to 4" XLarge: 4"+
Note: Purchase size is a batfishes body without their long fins.
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Small $89.99
Medium $99.99
Large$139.99
XLarge$169.99
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Aquarium Conditioned
Teira Batfish
Platax teira
Identification:
Teira Batfish, also nicknamed Longfin Batfish and Round-faced Batfish, are an extremely peaceful and social marine species that will form schools with others of their
kind. Juvenile Teira Batfish have relatively long anal and dorsal fins that will become much shorter as the fish matures and fills out to its adult shape. Teira Batfish are mild mannered and will
coexist peacefully with their tank mates, but should not be housed with overly aggressive species that may bully them as juveniles.Teira Batfish are a very mild mannered fish that will do well with
a wide variety of tank mates, but they are not considered to be reef safe (they will sessile invertebrates, e.g.; anemones and coral species) and should be housed within a FOWLR environment.
TankRecommendations:
Although Teira Batfish are usually quite small when initially purchased, they will quickly outgrow a small aquarium. Teira Batfish require an adequate amount of open swimming space and should be provided with nothing less than a 240 gallon aquarium. They should also be provided with a sandy to crushed-coral substrate and plenty of live rock for shelter and overall system health. As they grow to a large size of 24 inches they will need strong, efficient biological and mechanical filtration with the addition of a quality protein skimmer in order to handle their large biological load on the system and ensure pristine water conditions.
Food and diet:
Teira Batfish are omnivorous, meaning they consume both animal proteins and plant matter. This diet should be replicated as accurately as possible in captivity. The acclimation/quarantine period is key to establishing the new fish's diet. Initially, it may be necessary to offer live food. If this is the case, depending on the size of the batfish, either live brine, mysid, or ghost shrimp should do the job. Regardless of which one is offered, they should all be gut-loaded and enriched with a vitamin supplement. As they adapt to feeding in the aquarium, prepared foods can gradually be offered to them. Being omnivorous, it is important to vary their diet. Pinnatus batfish absolutely relish shrimp, krill, crab, squid, bloodworms, and live and frozen brine and mysid shrimp, but their recently discovered need for algae cannot be neglected. For the home aquarium macroalgae is the best, such as fresh Chaetomorpha, Caulerpa racemosa, C. prolifera, and C. Mexicana, as these are commonly grown in many refugiums.
Level of Care:
Advanced or Expert Aquarist Only Not Guaranteed Beyond Live Arrival
Acclimaton Time:
3+ hours
Reef Compatibility
: Not reef safe, more suitable for a FOWLR (fish-only-with-live-rock) aquarium.
Approximate Purchase Size:
Small: 1" to 2" Medium: 2" to 3" Large: 3" to 4"
Note: Purchase size is a batfishes body without their long fins.
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Small$44.99
Medium $59.99
Large $79.99
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Copyright 2018 Aquarium Creations Online Photos are representative of each species. All marine life will be unique and variations should be expected, color and sizes may vary. *Guarantee Restriction: All of our livestock are guaranteed. However for one or more of these species, they may be marked with a guarantee restriction. If it does, it means the specific animal may not handle stress from environmental conditions well. These stresses can include poor water quality, harassment from tank mates or confined aquarium conditions. When stressed, these species can lose the ability to ward off infection and disease. Other species may be listed as Restricted because they have such specialized feeding requirements that is difficult recreate in a aquarium and may succumb to malnutrition.
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