Round Belly Cowfish

(Lactoria diaphana)

Lactoria Cowfish should be added first to large aquariums with ample open swim room as they are slow swimmers and become quite large. Provide rocky areas and a thick sand bed. Cowfish might be slightlyly sensitive to aquarium lights when first added, monitor for light sensitivity. They may also be difficult to acclimate to aquarium diet, try offering live, enriched meaty foods such as Black Worms and Brine or Glass/Grass Shrimp. Cowfish will also disturb sand bed by blowing it trying to uncover prey. They are constant grazers and have also been known to consume Cyanoacteria, Slime algae and other types of marcro and micro algaes. Provide a diet rich in meaty and algae based foods multiple times daily. Do not offer any floating foods as Cowfish may ingest air which can cause buoyancy issues. Cowfish may release a toxin if excited or threatenedd. Always remove Cowfish if being picked on or in poor health. Activated carbon will remove the toxins.

Round Belly Cowfish are also sometimes known as the Transparent or Glasshead Cowfish They are not often seen in the aquarium trade. The transparent cowfish has a unique appearance with a translucent, almost glass-like head and body. They have a box-shaped body with a prominent horn on the head and a spotted pattern on the body. Round Belly Cowfish have the ability to produce toxic chemicals when stressed or threatened, which can be harmful to other fish in the aquarium. Therefore, it is best to keep them with appropriate tankmates and in a well-maintained and stable environment. They can grow up to 13 inches in length.

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: DietFrozen FoodFrozen Food DietLive FoodLive Food
  • Habitat: HabitatPlantedPlanted
  • Light: LightHighHigh