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Scrawled Cowfish
The Scrawled Cowfish (Acanthostracion quadricornis) is somes called the Scribbled Cowfish, as well. This species is the most commonly available of those from the Atlantic, often encountered by divers in the Florida Keys. They can grow to as large as 20 inches. Hence, they would be most comfortable in a tank of 135 to 180 gallons. They display a yellowish background with blue spots as juveniles. As the fish mature, the spots connect into scrawled lines. These fish have a pair of short spines above each eye and a second pair protruding from the rear ventral region. They are found mainly on sea grass beds near shore, but occasionally are discovered in offshore reefs of 2 to 25 meters deep. They normally prey upon sessile invertebrates, such as tunicates, sea anemones, or sponges. They are also known to eat other zoanthids, hermit crabs, blue-green algae, Halimeda algae, polycheate worms, and small bivalves. They have even been reported to feed on small spines of some sea urchins. This particular cowfish tends to be more shy than other species and prefers to have caves or rock work to retreat to when housed in an aquarium. Their care is similar to Longhorn cowfish. Unlike other boxfish species, they are not well-known to secrete toxin in an aquarium, at least not at deadly levels. They inhabit the region surrounding Massachusetts, Bermuda, Gulf of Mexico, and Brazil.
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