Island Cowfish

Acanthostracion Cowfish should be added first to large aquariums with ample open swim room as they are slow swimmers and become quite large. Provide rocky areas and a thick sand bed. Cowfish might be slightly sensitive to aquarium lights when first added, monitor for light sensitivity. They may also be difficult to acclimate to aquarium diet, try offering live, enriched meaty foods such as Black Worms and Brine or Glass/Grass Shrimp. Cowfish will also disturb sand bed by blowing it trying to uncover prey. They are constant grazers and have also been known to consume Cyanobacteria, Slime algae and other types of macro and micro algae's. Provide a diet rich in meaty and algae based foods multiple times daily. Do not offer any floating foods as Cowfish may ingest air which can cause buoyancy issues. Cowfish may release a toxin if excited or threatened. Always remove Cowfish if being picked on or in poor health. Activated carbon will remove the toxins.

Island Cowfish are also sometimes known as the Island Boxfish. Rarely seen in the aquarium trade. Island Cowfish have interesting irregular circles and dark lines against a green to blue body. Island Cowfish can grow to almost 20".

We recommend a minimum aquarium size of 250 gallons or larger for this species.

Water conditions: Salinity 1.020 - 1.025, Temp (F) 72 - 78, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Alkalinity 8 - 12 dKH