15 years and still making mistakes, need help identifying

navila06 · Apr 18, 2013

I recently bought this fish on saturday the 13th, he is doing well eating like a pig not messing with any corals as far I can tell at least, my question is:
is this a Heniochus diphreutes

or Heniochus acuminatus

I can't tell, and i just recently learned that Heniochus acuminatus are the non- reef safe ones.
I got it from the LFS and they didn't tell me it could be a coral nipper. thanks for the help

Mike J. · Apr 18, 2013

I can't tell the difference with even good photos.

navila06 · Apr 18, 2013

I am hearing a lot of that.

Mike J. said:
I can't tell the difference with even good photos.

Mason Dixon · Apr 18, 2013

Did you get it from Petco?

navila06 · Apr 18, 2013

got it from the aquarium shop, the guys know I have a reef too. which makes it worse cause they said nothing. I know i should of did research, but it was one of the times I went in there for something specific and came out with something completly different.

Mason Dixon · Apr 18, 2013

I'm looking for one myself. Do they have anymore?

Petco had about 4-5 heniochus in stock last week but I didn't know how to tell if they were diphreutes. I later read that the way to tell with the smaller juveniles is to look at the anal fin....if the black portion extends to the tip of the middle of that fin, cuts it in half, it is diphruetes...if the white portion trails off along the bottom of the fin, that is acuminatus. I'm only seeing acuminatus at the big online vendors who probably get the fish from the same wholesalers as Petco/LFS so that leaves me kind of skeptical.

navila06 · Apr 18, 2013

this was the only one they had at the aquarium shop, petco has many more for about 10 bucks cheaper than AS, i will try and get a better pic when i get home and check out mine per the description you posted.

Mason Dixon said:
I'm looking for one myself. Do they have anymore?

Petco had about 4-5 heniochus in stock last week but I didn't know how to tell if they were diphreutes. I later read that the way to tell with the smaller juveniles is to look at the anal fin....if the black portion extends to the tip of the middle of that fin, cuts it in half, it is diphruetes...if the white portion trails off along the bottom of the fin, that is acuminatus. I'm only seeing acuminatus at the big online vendors who probably get the fish from the same wholesalers as Petco/LFS so that leaves me kind of skeptical.

Mason Dixon · Apr 18, 2013

Diphreutes

Acuminatus

navila06 · Apr 18, 2013

oh cool man, from the pics you posted, it looks like i may have lucked out and have the Diphreutes, I will still monitor very closely.

Mason Dixon · Apr 22, 2013

No problem.....do you have a lot of soft/polyp type corals? How has it done over the weekend?

navila06 · Apr 22, 2013

i have mostly soft corals, and it has not bothered them, however i did notice on sunday morning nipping at my kryptonite coral before the lights came on , so i am going to try and sell him. you want him?

Mason Dixon · Apr 23, 2013

I've got the same type of corals so I'll have to pass.

How often and what were you feeding him? Do you have an autofeeder?

navila06 · Apr 23, 2013

I feed my tank like crazy no auto feeder, brine shrimp frozen/live, flakes 2 types, and nori. he ate everything. i actually sold him yesterday. now I need to find another mid to high level swimmer, him being gone sucks cause he did so well in my tank while he was there. except for the coral munching of course