Thornback Cowfish, Bluelined Boxfish

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You are here: Home » Fish » Boxfish » Thornback Cowfish

Thornback Cowfish

Scientific Name

Lactoria fornasini

Reef Compatible

With Caution

Care Level

Expert-only

Disposition

Peaceful

Min. Tank Size

100 gallons

Mature Size

9 inches

Diet

Omnivore

Range

Indo-Pacific, South Africa

Size Class

view chart

Curator's Note

Sudden movement, sound or bright lights can easily stress the Boxfish which can cause it to secrete a toxin that will likely wipe out your fish population including the Boxfish. It is reported that this toxin does not affect invertebrates as much as it will fish. If you have a cowfish that shows signs of stress, or has died in your aquarium, we recommended you do a series of substantial water changes and place a fresh bag of activated carbon somewhere in your filtration to assist in removing toxins from the water (usually near your return pump in your sump). Change carbon every 24 hours.

Other Common Names

Bluelined Boxfish, Thornback Boxfish, Camel Cowfish

Description

The Thornback Cowfish, also known as the ‘Camel Cowfish’, has horns similar to the Longhorn Cowfish but they will not be as long or as prominent. Best kept in a peaceful community aquarium with other peaceful fish that will not bully. This fish supposedly has the same ability to be toxic if stressed or when it dies. However it is reportedly less likely to do so than the other cowfish.

Diet

Feed a varied diet consisting of large chunks of meaty foods. These foods include krill, raw table shrimp, squid, clam and mussel. It is also a good idea to occasionally supplement with some type of herbivore diet containing marine algae.
Boxfish will learn to swim near the surface and spit water as a form of begging at feeding time. This begging behavior, though cute and charming, should be discouraged as it may swallow air and cause buoyancy problems.