# Care for firefish?



## Cantra

I'm trying to learn as much about the care of this fish as possible before i even think of buying one. I was wondering for those who have kept/keep this fish is it easy to keep? Does it have any special needs that need to be met? Should it be fed anything specail?What kind of fish should it be kept with?How big of a tank does it need?

That's all the questions i have for now though i'm sure i'll have more soon.
Thanks in advance


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## Osiris

It's a schooling fish, eating regular flake/frozen food easily. I'd recommend a min tank size of 29/30g with a min of 3 kept. Want to see them out more get more of them.. but depending on tank size we are dealing with.


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## MaelStrom

Schooling? I always thought they were agressive towards each other unless they were kept as either a mated pair or a couple in a large sytem...


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## Osiris

I've never really noticed aggression when keeping them. But it is a given to keep them in groups. I have seen them schooling as well in larger aquarium systems.


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## Osiris

o and i contacted Drs F&S last year as to see if this was a typo and it wasn't 

http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1636+171&pcatid=171&N=0


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## TheOldSalt

I wouldn't call it schooling so much as aggregating.

They very very often have internal worms.
They are unpredictable in regard to hardiness.
They jump like you wouldn't believe.
They are very sensitive to pretty much everything.

Other than these things, they're terrific.


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## CollegeReefer

Some sort of top is required. EggCrate works well. 

If you want more than one you need to put them in at the same time or one will beat the others to death


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## crazyfishlady

$ 331.77?! What?! Why are they so expensive?

I would also turn one light off at a time if that is possible for your lighting system. When they are out and about and you shut the lights off they freak out and start darting all over the place. Mine fly up into the top of the lid and they find the small slit in the back of the biocube where they jump over the baffle into the filter area.


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## iso2k4

My lfs had several of these for about 70 apiece. i would say look local first.


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## TheOldSalt

There are different kinds of Firefish. The normal yellow ones are cheap, but the red & purple ones are very, very pricey. I found two in a store just yesterday for the bargain-bin price of only $100.00.
They're rare and very hard to collect, preferring deep water and tight spaces. They aren't bred on farms yet, either.


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## wgama

Im getting a firefish this weekend and a red one is 20$ and a purple one is 40$ at The Reef Shoppe in Lloydminister.


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## CollegeReefer

wgama said:


> Im getting a firefish this weekend and a red one is 20$ and a purple one is 40$ at The Reef Shoppe in Lloydminister.


Those are standard prices at lfs across the nation.


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## TheOldSalt

Oh, really? I would love to know where I can buy a purple firefish at a standard price of only 40 bucks.


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## CollegeReefer

LFS in wisconsin purple firefish go anywhere between 30 and 40 tops. If you pay more you are getting ripped off.

Online:

liveaquaria.com 29.99
saltwaterfish.com 31.99
reefhotspot.com 29.99

Are you sure you are not thinking about the Helfrichi firefish oldsalt? They go for about 150 now.


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## MaelStrom

Yeah, purples are quite common/cheap. Look a lot like Helfrichi's too....


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## TheOldSalt

Yeah, Helfrich's is what I meant.


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## Fishfirst

I am going to have to disagree on the whole "schooling" issue... 

after quite some time of experimenting with this idea... In tanks of about 30 gallons or less, I can say it will not work with a pair that were not a pair to begin with. It is EXTREMELY tough to pair these guys up... and after seemingly weeks of getting along, they can turn on eachother like that. I would say that in larger systems with plenty of places to hide, and get away from eachother when the time calls for it... then yes you can have two or a group easily... but approximately 20% of the time a pair works out when bought seperate for any substantial length of time .


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