Green Razorfish

[edit] Overview

This attractive razorfish is one of the best for the reef tank, as it does not attain a large size and readily adapts to captive life. As with other razorfishes, it needs an open, deep sand bed in which it can bury and exhibit its curious habit of "swimming" while buried in the sand.

In the wild, females rise in the water column to forage and when a potential threat approaches, return to the seafloor. When approached by a predator, fish of both sexes will hover near a rock or piece of rubble with the body curved (the best posture to be in to instigate a fast dash into the sand) and their lateral bars darkened. If they are attacked, they will dive into a depression next to the rock or rubble. The fish prepare these depressions by repeatedly diving in and out of the sand.

In other habitats, the zooplankton-feeding individuals may shelter among the branches of gorgonians (e.g., Muricea muricata, Plexaura homomalla, and Eunicea spp.) or Staghorn Coral when threatened.

In seagrass beds, the Green Razorfish will hide among the grass blades when threatened, diving into the sand if the threat persists. Nemtzov (1994) found that this species usually stayed under the sand for just over 4 minutes when attacked by a predator.

[edit] Feeding

Meaty foods, including finely shredded frozen seafood, mysid shrimp, frozen preparations, and pigment-enriched flake food. Feed at least once a day, unless you have a healthy stock of crustaceans and worms for it to feed on, in which case you can feed every other day. It will feed on smaller prey than other razorfishes of similar size.

This species, even large adults, in the wild feeds mainly on planktonic copepods. It will feed on some benthic prey (especially those individuals that reside in seagrass meadows), including amphipods, crustaceans, tiny snails, and minute clams.

[edit] Aquarium Compatibility

Male X. splendens are territorial, excluding consexuals from their turf.

It is primarily a zooplanktivore (e.g., copepod feeder). That said, larger individuals may eat newly introduced ornamental shrimps. It can be aggressive toward other labrids (wrasses) and may pick on more docile species in a smaller tank.

In nature, they ignore most heterospecifics, attack some, and steer clear of a few. The species that are regularly attacked include snake eels, lizardfishes, the Peacock Flounder (Bothus lunatus), the Slippery Dick (Halichoeres bivittatus), and the Rosy Razorfish (X. martinicensis). These are trophic competitors or predators of X. splendens.

Females rarely attack intruders.

The fishes that the Green Razorfish avoids are all piscivores and include tarpons, jacks, tunas, snappers, groupers, and barracudas.

[edit] Special Care

It needs a fine sand substrate at least 3 in. (8 cm) in depth, which it will help aerate and turn.

[edit] Breeding/Propagation

The Green Razorfish is a haremic species that spawns late in the afternoon. Females live within the territories of the males in the wild and occasionally squabble. In some cases, a male may break up female fights. During courtship, the male swims rapidly past a female and flips onto his side, and swims 1 to 2 m (3.3 to 7 ft.) off the bottom and vibrates the rear portion of his body. When predators are in the area, males engage in fewer courtship displays and the height of the spawning ascent is lower.

[edit] Notes

When the Green Razorfish drifts in the water column, it often takes on a barred pattern. This species was formerly placed in the genus Hemipteronotus.

Category: Species