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The Aiptasia-Eating Filefish (Acreichthys tomentosus), also known as the Bristletail Filefish or Matted Leatherjacket, is a highly unique marine species featuring a mottled, camouflage-patterned body that shifts between shades of green, brown, and grey to blend into surrounding rockwork. It is celebrated in the saltwater hobby as a highly effective biological control method for destroying pest glass anemones (Aiptasia) and majano anemones. Armed with an independently moving dorsal spine and a small, precise mouth, it hunts down pests that many other fish completely avoid.
Tank Requirements
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons or larger; its slow-moving, hovering swimming style makes it an excellent candidate for small to mid-sized systems.
Aquarium Decor: Plentiful live rock structures, macroalgae, or seagrass-style decorations where it can use its color-changing camouflage to hide and hunt.
Temperature: 72°F – 78°F (22°C – 26°C).
Salinity (Specific Gravity): 1.020 – 1.025.
pH Range: 8.1 – 8.4.
Care and Feeding
Diet: Omnivorous; while it will actively consume Aiptasia, it cannot survive on them alone. It requires regular feedings of frozen mysis shrimp, enriched brine shrimp, chopped marine meats, and high-quality pellet foods supplemented with marine algae sheets.
Reef Safe Rating: Reef safe with caution; once it completely clears a tank of pest anemones, a hungry filefish is notorious for nipping at the fleshy polyps of large polyp stony (LPS) corals, zoanthids, and the soft tentacles of various sea anemones.
Temperament: Peaceful; it is a very docile, slow-moving fish that will completely ignore unrelated community tank mates, though it should be kept away from highly aggressive tank residents (like large triggers or aggressive angels) that might bully or outcompete it for food.
The Aiptasia-Eating Filefish (Acreichthys tomentosus), also known as the Bristletail Filefish or Matted Leatherjacket, is a highly unique marine species featuring a mottled, camouflage-patterned body that shifts between shades of green, brown, and grey to blend into surrounding rockwork. It is celebrated in the saltwater hobby as a highly effective biological control method for destroying pest glass anemones (Aiptasia) and majano anemones. Armed with an independently moving dorsal spine and a small, precise mouth, it hunts down pests that many other fish completely avoid.
Tank Requirements
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons or larger; its slow-moving, hovering swimming style makes it an excellent candidate for small to mid-sized systems.
Aquarium Decor: Plentiful live rock structures, macroalgae, or seagrass-style decorations where it can use its color-changing camouflage to hide and hunt.
Temperature: 72°F – 78°F (22°C – 26°C).
Salinity (Specific Gravity): 1.020 – 1.025.
pH Range: 8.1 – 8.4.
Care and Feeding
Diet: Omnivorous; while it will actively consume Aiptasia, it cannot survive on them alone. It requires regular feedings of frozen mysis shrimp, enriched brine shrimp, chopped marine meats, and high-quality pellet foods supplemented with marine algae sheets.
Reef Safe Rating: Reef safe with caution; once it completely clears a tank of pest anemones, a hungry filefish is notorious for nipping at the fleshy polyps of large polyp stony (LPS) corals, zoanthids, and the soft tentacles of various sea anemones.
Temperament: Peaceful; it is a very docile, slow-moving fish that will completely ignore unrelated community tank mates, though it should be kept away from highly aggressive tank residents (like large triggers or aggressive angels) that might bully or outcompete it for food.