i need care tips for cow fish please?
I just bought a longhorn cow fish for my aquarium. it will be in a 55 gallon but until it gets bigger it is in a 20 gallon tank. The man at the store did not give me any specific details about it or what to feed it or how big it will get or anything of that sort. Mr. Moo Moo and I would love some help!!
Also I cant not stress enough he is going to be in a bigger tank when is big enough so that my clown fish will not eat him! And i ually do my homework before getting a new fish but I trust the guy at the fish store, he knows all about my tank and he said it would be fine. And my cousion is an expert at this stuff…I havent told him yet but I will see what he says. And weve had him for over a week and he seems to have adapted quite nicely, he eats ALOT!
Oh and how do you milk it???
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BE CAREFUL IT’S POISONOUS
Um, I’m sorry to tell you this, but the minimum tank required by that species is 125 gallons according to liveaquaria.com (see source below). There is no way that it is going to be able to survive in a 20 gallon saltwater tank. You have to return the fish to the store or it will die. I know that it’s cute, but you have to do your homework before you buy a pet. Especially when you’re buying a poisonous pet.
Return the fish to the pet store immediately. Then do some research, buy a 125 gallon tank minimum (see source below) and then you can get the fish again. I’m sorry to be so negative, but it’s the truth. Saltwater fish aren’t something you can just buy one day on a whim, with only a 20 gallon tank to house them. Cowfish are very delicate, most are actually captured in the wild, and they need a lot of expert level care. If you do some research and set up the right tank, the fish would be very happy. Please do this and enjoy your pet. I’m sure the pet store will hold the fish for you as you set up its new home.
Update: I think the other answerer was kidding. You don’t actually ‘milk’ cow fish.
These are such interesting fish. My former neighbor loves em and I used to babysit, whenever they were out of town. Cow fish are very cool, but they need special care and can get pretty big. They grow very quickly and need plenty of swimming room. Your 20 gallon tank is too small. The recommendations are around 75-100 gallon tank.
It’s important that they don’t become stressed, because they are prone to release a toxin. In the wild it’s a defense mechanism and if they do that into a closed system like a fish tank – it is highly likely it will kill any other inhabitants and quite possibly your cow fish too. My neighbor kept carbon in the tank to decrease the effects of any toxins. They’re also prone to saltwater itch, so you have to keep their living conditions very clean and feed them a good diet that has variety, like freeze dried shrimp and some live food like snails, worms etc. They also like green stuff – algae type food. Flake food is not good and I would stay away from it. You could also call a pet store that specializes in aquarium/salt water fish and ask for more tips on how to care for your new family member.
Here are some great links to help you with care for your cowfish. I hope Mr. Moo Moo likes his new home!
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/marine/puffers/cowfish.php
http://www.petinfo4u.com/cowfish.htm
http://members.fortunecity.com/cowfish1/index.html
In my 40 years of fish keeping I have seen batfish,catfish,angelfish,glofish but the rare Cowfish I have never seen .From what I know this fish is more poisonous than any other freshwater fish .You must carefully milk it everyday avoiding the horns. Put your ear to the glass as you milk it, if you hear a mooooooow watch out it’s getting ready to bite.