Bridled Leatherjacket

(Acanthaluteres spilomelanurus)

Acanthaluteres Filefish should be added to well established aquariums with plenty of room to swim. Filefish are slow swimmers, an aquarium with low water flow is required. Plenty of rock work with caves, cracks and crevices should be provided for grazing and hiding. Filefish feed mainly on algae and seagrasses. Provide a diet rich in algae based foods which should be fed twice daily. Filefish are generally shy and should only be housed with other peaceful fish. If threatened Filefish are capable of grinding their front teeth together creating a low growling sound.

Bridled Leatherjacket are also sometimes known as Golden Eyed Leatherjacket. Not often seen in the aquarium trade. Depending upon maturity juveniles, females and males may have different colorations. Juveniles and females are a mottled brown color while males will have black stripes in front of their eyes, blue spots on their sides and black spot at the edge of its tail. Bridled Leatherjacket can grow to almost 6".

We recommend a minimum aquarium size of 50 gallons or larger for this species.

Water conditions: Salinity 1.020 - 1.025, Temp (F) 72 - 78, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Alkalinity 8 - 12 dKH

  • Care: CareDifficultDifficult
  • Behavior: BehaviorSocialSocial
  • Diet: DietLive FoodLive Food
  • Habitat: HabitatReefReef
  • Light: LightMediumMedium