Boxfish - Longhorn

The Longhorn Boxfish usually has an olive to yellow coloured body with blue or whites spots decorating the back and sides. It has two protruding horn-like growths like bovine animals and a cubed-shaped body from which it gets its name. This species has a unique method of swimming which makes it appear like they are hovering.

There are no known differences between males and females and no success has been had when attempting to breed them in captivity. The Longhorn Boxfish is quite different from other species of fish due to the lack of gill covers.

Extreme caution must be taken to not allow the boxfish to become too stressed or anxious. These fish can release a powerful toxin into the water which when this happens will kill everything in the tank including itself.

These fish are originally found all over the Indo-Pacific region ranging from the Red Sea and Eastern Africa all the way over to southern Japan. They love sandy, muddy habitats in brackish water and will often be spotted near river mouths and other weedy areas. Adults will normally live alone but the juveniles have been known to form small groups and can head down to depths up to 50 metres.

Tank Recommendations for the Longhorn Boxfish

The smallest tank size of 380 litres is recommended when keeping boxfish and you will need to provide plenty of shelter and grazing areas with live rock and sand. They prefer calmer water in the wild so don't expose them to higher amounts of water movement and current. They are best suited to a Fish Only with Live Rock aquarium set up but can be kept in a reef environment with certain precautions. Good quality filtration along with a protein skimmer is essential.

Suitable Tank Buddies

This is a generally peaceful species and should be kept with fish that have a similar temperament. Any sort of stress from larger more boisterous fish can cause the boxfish to release toxins so choose tank buddies carefully and be prepared to remove them if necessary.

Usually Compatible

Great choices of tank buddy for this boxfish would be Batfish, Damselfish, and Clownfish. Dragonets, Grunts, and Parrotfish would be wonderful options as well. They should also get along fine with species such as Filefish, Lionfish, and Wrasses. Rays, Cardinalfish, and small dwarf species of Angelfish should work perfectly well too.

Sometime Compatible

Keep an eye out if attempting to house with large Angelfish, Eels, and Triggerfish. Other boxfish should be watched carefully too as they can occasionally become territorial. Pufferfish and Groupers can sometimes be problematic as well. Success has been had when keeping the Longhorn Boxfish with Seahorses and Pipefish as long as tank space is enough. They have been known to eat certain types of snails so choose your invertebrates carefully.

Rarely Compatible

Sharks are a definite no while there is a boxfish in the tank. Not only will a shark hunt your boxfish for food, but it will also most likely kill itself due to the boxfish's toxic nature. Longhorn Boxfish can become aggressive and anxious when another adult longhorn is present so only ever keep one of them at a time in the same tank.

Feeding Your Longhorn Boxfish

In the wild, these creatures are omnivores and will actively search for small invertebrates and fish, snails, and worms along with grazing on various types of algae. Give them a wide array of frozen, flake, dried, and vitamin-enriched foods such as mysis/brine shrimp, snails, and bloodworms along with proving plenty of rocks with naturally occurring algae growth. Flakes with a spirulina base can be mixed in occasionally too. Feed them 2-3 times a day and be sure to occasionally offer them live shelled snails or feeder shrimp which will help keep their long teeth from growing too much.