Orange You Glad I Didn't Say BlackHead?

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.”

This File has a large range and can be found near deepwater reefs in tropical locations from the east coast of Africa to the islands of the west central Pacific. They prefer depths between 100 and 150 feet, though are occasionally seen outside that range. They are often found singly, though as they mature, they are more frequently found as pairs. Interestingly, it is not uncommon for these pairs to be composed of two different species. While this behavior has been reported by multiple sources in the wild, it does not translate to the home aquarium. As a result, you should not mix Filefish species and we further suggest keeping only one Orange Body Filefish, or, if you can find a pair, keeping them that way. They are difficult, if not impossible to pair in most home aquariums.

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.

P. melanocephalus is an incredibly peaceful fish, and a plodding eater, so choosing tankmates is an important part of successful husbandry. Avoid aggressive fish that are fast swimmers and piggy eaters; fish like Tangs/Surgeons, Triggers, large Wrasses, and Angels etc will all be too much for your Filefish to handle. Great choices would be fish like Macropharyngdon Wrasses, Cardinalfish, Jawfish, Gobies, Dragonettes, Firefish and other small peaceful, reticent eaters. Orange Body Filefish like some space to swim and surfaces to graze, as well as having lots of hiding places, so plan your rockwork accordingly. They would do very well in a tank with a variety of intentional macroalgae. One of these with a school of Pajama Cardinals and maybe a Blue Star Leopard Wrasse in a wave tank would be a stunning display.

Aquariums need not be over large for one Orange Body Filefish, and it could be kept in a tank as small as 55 gallons; five- or six-foot-long tank (100-180) gallons would make a great home for two of them, while allowing for a variety of other appropriate fish. Filefish appreciate stable water conditions and water on the cool side, in the low to mid 70s Fahrenheit. Hobbyists looking to successfully keep Files should maintain a stable pH, low nutrients and keep up the water changes with a quality salt mix like Tropic Marin.

One of the things that makes Orange Body Filefish so interesting is their swimming style and body shape. They have the dorsal spine that we call a trigger on Triggerfish, and this allows them to lock themselves into hiding places in rocks. It has tiny little serrations on it, that sting if it pokes you and which can also get hopelessly entangled in fine mesh nets, so avoid these at all costs. Obviously, you'll want to handle your Orange Body as little as possible, but when you are forced to, buy a larger mesh, rubberized net, or avoid nets all together.

In the end, there are few fish available to the aquarium enthusiast that are this interesting, and this rare while staying this small. For those of you looking for a very exotic looking fish, these are going to be hard to beat. We suggest purchasing these from your reputable Local Fish Store, as seeing them in person will give you a good idea as to their general health and whether or not they are eating processed foods yet, and this will give you a huge head start. So, if we've piqued your interest, and you have the experience you need, head to your LFS and ask them about Orange Body Filefish from Quality Marine today!