All fish / Monacanthidae

Whitespotted Filefish

Cantherhines dumerilii

Also known as dumeril's filefish, barred filefish, vagabond filefish, yelloweye filefish, orange-tail filefish, whitespot filefish, cantherhines dumerili, ソウシハギモドキ, 杜氏刺鼻单棘鲀

This is a large, deep-bodied filefish with a greyish-brown body, faint vertical bars, a white patch near the tail and bright orange spines and tail on the males. It is kept by people with big fish-only systems because it is hardy and has plenty of character.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

30 cm

Temperature

23 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

700 litres

Keep as

Keep singly or as a mated pair

Diet

Carnivore: feeds on coral, sponges, sea urchins and molluscs; give mussels, clams, shrimp and meaty frozen foods

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

8 to 12 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific and Eastern Pacific, from East Africa to Hawaii and Central America

Breeding

In the wild, pairs lay eggs in a nest on the bottom and guard them. It has not been bred regularly in home aquariums.

Good to know

It eats stony corals, clams and other invertebrates, so it is not safe for reef tanks. It also grows to around 35 cm and needs a very large aquarium. The correct spelling of the scientific name is dumerilii.