The Orange Body Filefish, or to avoid confusion, Pervagor melanocephalus is a very unique fish, both in looks and in activity. As such, there isn't really any surprise that it sometimes finds its way into people's aquariums. These very peaceful fish stay relatively small, with a record size of six inches, and a much more common adult length of four or five inches. They have a myriad of common names, the most common of which are: “Blackhead Filefish,” “Blackhead Leatherjacket,” “Lacefin Leatherjacket,” and “Red (or Orange) Tail Filefish.”
Orange Body Filefish are fairly straightforward to keep, though we recommend getting some experience keeping fish before diving into Filefish of any kind, because they can be slow to accept processed foods. It is not uncommon to have to feed Files appropriately sized live food like gut loaded brine, tubifex, mysis, or small bloodworms, and mixing these with frozen and pelletized foods until the File start to recognize the pellets as food too. Happily, the Orange Body Filefish is an omnivore, and as such, they are trainable to new foods. This also means they like to graze and need a portion of their diet to be algae based; a great food to allow them to graze is the Nutramar Marine Algae and Color Boost Shot. This grazing omnivorous behavior makes them very likely to nibble on coral and clams, and just about anything else they think might possibly be food. In the end, this will lead to the eventual death of the invertebrate, so we strongly recommend you do not add these fish to your reef tank. Click here to learn more
Orange Body Filefish are fairly straightforward to keep, though we recommend getting some experience keeping fish before diving into Filefish of any kind, because they can be slow to accept processed foods. It is not uncommon to have to feed Files appropriately sized live food like gut loaded brine, tubifex, mysis, or small bloodworms, and mixing these with frozen and pelletized foods until the File start to recognize the pellets as food too. Happily, the Orange Body Filefish is an omnivore, and as such, they are trainable to new foods. This also means they like to graze and need a portion of their diet to be algae based; a great food to allow them to graze is the Nutramar Marine Algae and Color Boost Shot. This grazing omnivorous behavior makes them very likely to nibble on coral and clams, and just about anything else they think might possibly be food. In the end, this will lead to the eventual death of the invertebrate, so we strongly recommend you do not add these fish to your reef tank. Click here to learn more
