To Foxface or not to Foxface that is the question

[Deezill]

Hello R2R,
I want a Foxface but I am kind of nervous simply because they are venomous. I stick my hands in the tank to mount coral sometime or to do other things. I don't tinker around in the tank a lot but when I do I don't like to have to worry about looking out for a fish so I don't get stung. For those of you have owned or own a Foxface let me know about your experiences with them. Thanks.

 

[mch1984]

I’ve only had mine for about a month but I’ve never worried about it. From my understanding if you do get hit, it’s really not all that bad unless it goes deep. Usually when my hand is in the tank, he’s nowhere close. I have my hand in the tank a lot to hand feed stuff and I just don’t think about it.

 

[Preme]

Hey there!
I’ve owned a few fox faces in the past, they’re really great fish and I’d definitely suggest adding one. I really wouldn’t be to worried about getting stung, I’ve never had an issue with that. Whenever you stick your hand in the tank they usually don’t swim right next to you (at least in my experiences).

 

[Peter K]

I've had one for about 2 years now and have had no issues with their spines whatsoever. I've only ever seen him flare up to the other tangs when they bother him and never when I go in the tank. I hand feed him and have never been worried. Besides our tomini tang he is the best grazer we have. I have watched him clean frags up in a matter of seconds. I would definitely recommend one.

 

[KrisReef]

They won't charge you. I think you would have to actively be trying to grab the fish with your hand to have a problem.

 

[tdileo]

Stings are pretty rare. They are a passive fish and usually swim away when I’m working in the tank, but mine has no problem eating from my fingers when I have food to offer it. I handle these fish pretty often at work and the only time I’m ever worried is if one starts flailing around in a net because if it flips the right way you can definitely get stung.
I vote to foxface. I love mine!

 

[GoPitt88]

What does the Foxface say? [emoji13]

 

[4FordFamily]

Foxface are very timid fish, you’d have to grab the fish wrong to get stung. They’ll do everything imaginable to get away from you. I’ve kept them for about 14 years or so now and I’ve never had any trouble

A friend of mine when we first started the hobby was unaware of their spines and stung himself while getting one out of a net. He said it stung pretty bad and got really hot. An hour later the swelling is all that remained and he was fine the following day.

 

[Deezill]

What does the Foxface say? [emoji13]

lol

 

[Deezill]

Guys thank you so much for the expertise. This is an awesome community. I am going to treat my self to a Foxface.
My tank turned 1 year old on September 12, 2018 and I owe the tank a birthday gift other than coral lol. Thank you guys so much for being awesome.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

they are great fish. like other have said, they are pretty timid. they are fun though.. and don't freak out when you put him in and he gets all blotchy, they do that naturally, it will pass in a couple days.

say goodbye to your algae!! my foxface is a total pig!

 

[4FordFamily]

they are great fish. like other have said, they are pretty timid. they are fun though.. and don't freak out when you put him in and he gets all blotchy, they do that naturally, it will pass in a couple days.

say goodbye to your algae!! my foxface is a total pig!

They also have blotchy “camo” colors/patterns when hiding, stressed, or at night. Don’t be alarmed by that either.

 

[ScooterV]

Ours did a great job on algae when we first got it. Then we had to do a fallow period. Since he got back out of QT he ignores algae now Seems he got spoiled in QT and now insists he'll only eat the good stuff, lol. It does also make me nervous at times though. He recognizes the nori bag and goes crazy. He'll eat right from our fingers, which we thought was pretty cool. Only problem is, now when I put my arm is in the tank he's all excited and swimming around my arm looking for free food. As soon as I reach a little deeper though it seems to realize I have no food and runs to the other side, so it's all good! Great personality!

 

[Joel B.]

We named my FoxFace "Dr. Nope" because the second anything is going on in the tank he doesn't recognize/like he Nopes out to the other side of the tank and hides in the rocks.

You just need to be careful of startling him when you first put your hand in the tank, if you're close you might get tagged when he bolts. Once you're in the tank, it won't be a problem.

 

[ScooterV]

We named my FoxFace "Dr. Nope" because the second anything is going on in the tank he doesn't recognize/like he Nopes out to the other side of the tank and hides in the rocks.

You just need to be careful of startling him when you first put your hand in the tank, if you're close you might get tagged when he bolts. Once you're in the tank, it won't be a problem.

LOL, "Dr. Nope", that's good! Wife named ours "Pac Man" due to how quick he swims the 7 feet back and forth trying to be the only fish getting any food.

 

[sfin52]

I've had mine for four years. Never once has it swam toward my hand. It always dives to the back of the tank .

i never try to mess with my when lights are out . I don't want to take a spin in the hand. Peaceful fish that adds a lot of color and motion to a tank.

I full heartily say add one and you won't regret it.

 

[redpine42]

So I'm happy with my foxface. It is the weirdest fish I've ever seen. Here is a picture of it sleeping. Not worried about it stinging me. There are so many venomous creatures in this hobby, but yet most people here still seam alive.

 

[puffy127]

How big is your tank? I had one in my 75g reef tank. He grew from a little 2-3 inch baby to over 6 inches in about a year. Ate everything. But I think he overgrew the tank because he then became skittish all the time and camo colors. Had to remove him. I'm not so sure I want to try another one in my 125g FOWLR. They look great when full of yellow color, but in my case, more often than not, was too skittish and displaying camo colors.

 

[lion king]

I really enjoy mine, as others have said he'll likely tuck away somewhere when you put your hand in the tank; unlike my lions which are so friendly. They do seem to grow fast, and this is one fish I believe many times the tank size recommendations can be underestimated. Their swimming style isn't like a tang so their requirements are the same, but they will get to max 8-9" in captivity. The one spot seems to stay a little smaller and you may get away with a 75/90g with a one spot, but I still like them in a 6 foot tank like a 125g.