Honeycomb Filefish

The Honeycomb Filefish Cantherhines pardalis has a wide distribution area in nature and lives among silty reef habitats at depths of around sixty-five feet. The species shown here offered by LiveAquaria® hails from Sri Lanka, but there are specimens of this marine fish found in Africa, Australia, Japan, and the United States (excluding Hawaii). Other names they are known by include the Wirenet Filefish, Honeycomb Leatherjacket, or Leopard Leatherjacket. It is a shy and secretive fish, most usually found living alone. Although they can grow to almost ten inches, six inches is more common.

This Filefish has an oval shape that is laterally compressed, and two dominate dorsal spines in the front of the head that can sit in a groove in the dorsal area or stand at attention. These spines are coupled with soft rays at the rear of the dorsal fin. Eyes are set high on the face and a fair distance from its mouth. The Honeycomb Filefish can be found in three different colorations: greyish brown with a honeycomb pattern, an all over dark brown color, or in a mottled color of gray to brown. All three color distinctions include a small white spot on the caudal peduncle and in some varieties, yellow fins.

The environment provided for Cantherhines pardalis should be a well-established marine aquarium of 75 gallons or larger, so it has plenty of room to swim. There should be rockwork with craves for seeking shelter, and cracks and crevices where it can graze on algae and benthic organisms. Since it has a peaceful temperament, it should be housed with tankmates that are also peaceful. Although it lives among reef colonies in nature, it is not reef safe in an aquarium environment because it will pick at soft and stony corals, sponges, mollusks, sea urchins, and some invertebrates, so are good candidates for Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR) aquariums. Breeding behaviors of the Sri Lankan Honeycomb Filefish are not known.

This member of the Monacanthidae family is an omnivore that should be provided a well-balanced diet of both meaty and algae based foods such as spirulina, nori, krill, Mysis shrimp, artemia, and zooplankton.

Approximate shipping size: Medium 3” to 5”