Long-Tail Sand Diver (Trichonotus elegans) Care Guide
Trichonotus elegans is an Indo-West Pacific sand-diver in which males bear long dorsal filaments; it lives in harems over sandy slopes.
Overview
Trichonotus elegans, the long-tail or long-rayed sand-diver, is a slender marine fish of the family Trichonotidae. Males possess long filaments on the dorsal fin. The species was described by Shimada and Yoshino in 1984 and hovers above sandy slopes in the Indo-West Pacific, burying itself in the substrate when disturbed.
Taxonomy
- Family: Trichonotidae
- Genus: Trichonotus
- Scientific name: Trichonotus elegans
- Described by Shimada & Yoshino, 1984
Habitat
The species occurs in the Indo-West Pacific from the Maldives to Micronesia and Fiji, north to the Ryukyu Islands. It inhabits coastal reef slopes, deep outer reef lagoons and sand-rubble bottoms in current channels at depths of about 2 to 40 m.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 200 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- GH: 8-12 °dGH
- Substrate: deep sand bed required for burrowing
- Adult size: 15-18 cm
- Lifespan: 5-8 years
Diet
Trichonotus elegans is a carnivore that hovers in the water column above the sand and darts out to catch drifting prey. In captivity it requires frequent feedings of small meaty foods to match its planktonic, current-fed feeding strategy.
Compatibility
This is a peaceful, bottom-associated species. FishBase reports it forms harems of one male-phase fish and about a dozen female-phase fish, often in large groups with several large males. It suits peaceful tankmates such as gobies and cardinalfish, and should not be kept with aggressive species.
Breeding
Species in the genus Trichonotus are protogynous hermaphrodites, changing sex from female to male. Captive breeding is regarded as expert-level and is rarely accomplished.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2015).