Black Boxfish

About

The black boxfish (Ostracion meleagris) is one of those species where the males and females look so different that new hobbyists often think they're looking at two separate fish. Males are a deep blue-black covered in white spots and bright yellow patches, while females wear a brown base coat scattered with white spots. Both sexes share the rigid, boxy carapace that gives trunkfish their name. Essentially a fused bony shell with small fins poking out, which means they maneuver by sculling rather than flexing their bodies. In the wild, these fish range across an enormous swath of the Indo-Pacific, from East Africa all the way to Mexico, living on clear lagoon and seaward reefs. Adults patrol reef crests and slopes, picking at tunicates, sponges, polychaetes, mollusks, and small crustaceans. Juveniles tend to shelter around rocky rubble, sometimes near long-spined urchins. The biggest thing to understand before keeping one is ostracitoxin. When stressed or injured, boxfish can release a mucus-based toxin that can wipe out an entire tank. This isn't a beginner-friendly community fish despite what some care ratings suggest. They need a large, stable system, easygoing tankmates, and a keeper who knows how to minimize stress during transport and acclimation.