Just bought a cowfish mistake or no??

[daharley]

I just made an impulse buy and thought I asked the right questions. Bought a cowfish then got home and found out about the venom. How bad did I screw up?

[DDiver]

I wouldn't flip out about it.they only release the toxins when stressed or dying.I wouldn't recommend keeping them with boisterous or aggressive fish.my cousin has a boxfish in his reef tank and have never had any problems.they are actually one of the coolest fish IMO, the way they swim and their flat bellies..just make sure u always run carbon just in case.

[paul b]

I have had a load of them and never had a problem with their venem, I even had a few die in the tank, no problems.

Some of them do get large though.

[Brian Ward]

Agreed. Generally not a problem. They're not guaranteed to release a toxin when they're stressed or dying, but it's something you should be aware of.

[daharley]

I have Percula clown ,Maroon clown ,yellow tang ,blue tang ,yellow tailed damsel and a pixie hawkfish. I do have carbon filters. They are in a 60 gallon tank with 55 lbs Live Rock and a protein skimmer. I also have a 220 gallon tank in reserve when I have the money to set it up so size shouldn't be a problem. everyone seems to be leaving him alone so not too stressful, just worried about the venom if something should happen.

[Brian Ward]

The tangs and the damsel are what I'd worry most about. Sometimes fast moving fish can stress the slower ones. However, I don't think you'll have a problem. Just watch him when you feed and be sure he gets enough to eat.

[davelin315]

dandy7200 has a very large cowfish in his tank and has been raising it since it was small. Check out his thread on his tank or do a search on cowfish and his name.

[khalid]

I have a spotted yellow boxfish which is in the same family and love it. It is cool to watch and is always out watching me. Also, when my hand is in the tank playing around with the corals he is always around close by trying to see what is going on. Just make sure when you stick your hands in the tank to do it slowly and try to avoid scaring the fish. If you have strong powerheads put a foam cover on them because the fish is not the strongest swimmer and will get sucked in. A few day ago I was looking at the tank and watching the fish then turned my head for a second to look at the TV then when I turned back I didn't see him. I went up to the tank and found him stuck to the vortec so I quickly saved him and no he is happy. I made sure to put the foam cover on the vortec to avoid it from happening again. Also, stay away from cleaner wrasses because they stress the fish out and can cause them to release a toxin.

[extreme_tooth_decay]

I had a thornback for a long time. Model citizen, beautiful and interesting fish.