Platax pinnatus x P. batavianus - This unique hybrid has characteristics of both parent species. As juveniles the captive bred pinnate batfish has a deep jet black body with long, flowing fins and a bright orange border. The Zebra batfish is black with silver zebra stripes and long, serrated fins. As they age that jet black fades into a silver body with vertical bands and some yellow in the fins. These captive bred batfish are in varying stages of maturity and coloration. Hybrids tend to vary quite a bit in how they represent each parent, and even siblings may show different coloration. It's not yet known exactly what these young fish will grow up to look like, and this mystery is part of the appeal.
Wild-caught Batfish are considered to be difficult to keep in captivity. They're very finicky eaters and don't acclimate well from the wild to captivity. That's what makes these captive bred Batfish so special - they're better suited to aquarium life and already eating prepared foods like Easy Reefs DKI pellets, frozen spirulina brine shrimp and mysis. These omnivores need a varied diet of meaty foods and macroalgae to stay healthy.
Although captive bred Batfish are easier to keep, we recommend these for expert aquarists only.