Batfish for Home Marine Aquariums

The Batfish is an interesting saltwater fish that can live quite comfortably in a home marine aquarium. These large fish need plenty of room in the tank and frequent feedings, but their unique behavior habits are worth the effort. Batfish are quite clever fish and are generally peaceful and will usually cohabitate with other types of fish without conflict.

Batfish for home marine aquariums: Family and genus

Batfish are part of the Ephippidea family, which also includes scats and Spadefish. This family of fish are found in the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic waters. Batfish can survive in either brackish water or saltwater, but they prefer saltwater. The entire family of fish has a deep body with three spines on its anal fin. The most common types of batfish for home marine aquarium hail from the Platax genus of the Ephippidea family. Batfish are not compatible with coral reef, so plan your aquarium setup accordingly before adding these fish.

Batfish for home marine aquariums: Orbic Batfish

The Orbic Batfish (also known as the Round Batfish) is found in brackish water more often than its other Ephippidea family members. These are very large fish that require a lot of room in your aquarium. Orbic Batfish can reach a length of over twenty inches when they are fully grown. This type of Batfish is usually found in the Indo-Pacific, near the Red Sea and East Africa. Smaller pockets of Orbic Batfish have also been located on the Florida coast, but it is usually the Indo-Pacific variety that are used for home marine aquariums.

Batfish for home marine aquariums: Required equipment

Orbic Batfish can live quite well in a marine aquarium if all of the equipment is set up properly. The tank must be large and relatively wide open. As mentioned above, reefs are not compatible with Batfish, but there also should not be many other obstacles in the tank for these large fish to navigate. In the wild, Orbic Batfish are omnivores, so you may have to feed it live shrimp until your fish adapts to a more plant-based diet. Orbic Batfish must be fed several times per day when held in a home marine aquarium.

Batfish for home marine aquariums: Longfin Batfish

The Longfin Batfish, or Teira, is even longer than the Orbic Batfish and requires a marine aquarium tank that holds at least 175 gallons. Adult Longfin Batfish can reach a full length of over thirty inches, so they need a clear area for swimming. Similar to the Orbic Batfish, the Teira Batfish also requires a varied diet including both meat and plant material.