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Every species is checked against your display tank before it goes in the water.
How this works →How we check: each species' minimum tank size against your display volume, plus quantities and behaviour pairings between tankmates.


Matted Filefish
Also sold as the Bristletail or Aiptasia-Eating Filefish — a small, slow, mottled green-to-brown fish that changes shade to match its surroundings and hovers among rock and macroalgae rather than swimming in the open. It is bought almost entirely for aiptasia control, and many individuals do clear a tank of them, but this is not guaranteed: some ignore aiptasia completely and instead learn to pick at zoanthids, soft corals, LPS flesh and clam mantles. Treat it as a fish that may cost you corals, not as a reliable pest-control tool — keeping it well fed reduces but does not remove the risk. Its slow, deliberate swimming also means it is easily out-competed at feeding time and should not be housed with fast or boisterous fish.
Care & compatibility guidance only — confirm this fish’s needs and temperament with your supplier before you buy. Disclaimer
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