Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Perches and Perch-like Fishes > Mono - Moonfish

Mono ~ Silver Moony

Moonfish ~ Fresh Water Mono Fish ~ Mono Argentus Family: Monodactylidae

• Puzzles
• Postcards

Monodactylus argenteus Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Greg Rothschild

   The Mono, also called the Mono Argentus, is a beautiful silvery fish that definitely has a place in any brackish aquarium. A school of these fish are a beautiful sight!

   The round shape and shiny silver body of the Monos makes them a brackish favorite. It also led to the common names of Moonfish and Silver Moony. These fish are one of the staples of brackish water aquariums. As you can see in the picture above, when they are young they also have a bright yellow dorsal fin which adds to their appeal. If kept correctly, a school of Mono Argentus will give you many years of enjoyment.

   Some Monos will survive for awhile in pure freshwater but they really are brackish water fish. Though they are lively and entertaining to watch, they are a peaceful schooling fish that are also timid and easily frightened. Keep them with peaceful tank mates, but not too little as they may eat smaller fish. They are hearty eaters and enjoy a variety of foods from live and frozen foods to flakes, and will even munch on lettuce and spinach.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Distribution:
   The Mono was described by Linnaeus in 1758. This Mono has a very large distribution. They are found in the Red Sea, along the coasts of Australia, Eastern Africa and throughout Southeast Asia. Other names this fish is commonly known by are Silver moonfish, Silver Batfish, Diamond Moonfish, Diamondfish, Fingerfish, Kitefish, Singapore Angelfish, and Malayan Angel.

Status:
   The Mono or Mono Argentus is not listed on the IUCN Red List.

Description:
   The Mono Argentus is a disc- shaped fish with a flattened body, similar to that of a freshwater Angelfish. Its body coloration is a shiny silver with light yellow coloring on the dorsal, anal and tail fins. There are two vertical black bands, one extending through the eye with another just behind it that extends across the body and along the front edges of the dorsal and anal fin. Juveniles have brighter yellow dorsal fin.

Size - Weight:
   Maximum size in the wild is about 11 inches (27 cm) although tank raised specimens rarely grow larger than 6 inches (15 cm).

Care and feeding:
   The Monos are omnivores. Although they will eat dried foods, they really should be fed a varied diet consisting of fresh or frozen foods such as brine shrimp or bloodworms. They can also be offered lettuce and spinach.
   A minimum school size of at least three Monos is recommended, with five or more being better. They will need at least a 55 gallon aquarium with plenty of aeration. Some Monos will survive for awhile in pure freshwater but they really are brackish water fish. Their aquarium water should be made brackish by the addition of some high quality marine water salt mix, approximately 2 - 3 teaspoons per gallon. This species will also do very well in pure saltwater and usually looks their best when kept this way.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   Monos will swim in all parts of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Temp: 75 - 82° F (22 – 26° C)
   Hardness: 8 - 14 dGH
   Ph: 7.2 - 8.5

Social Behaviors:
   A schooling fish, the Monos do best in groups of 5 or more. They are lively and rambunctious, but they are peaceful with their tank mates. They may eat small fish and shrimp and they are easily intimidated by large or aggressive fish. So be sure none of their tank mates are likely to ever grow to be much larger than the Monos will, and also be sure their tank mates aren't bite size. Good choices would be Mollies, Archers, and brackish species of Gobies.

Sexual Differences:
   Sexual differences are unknown.

Buy Mono Argentus From LiveAquaria.com

Breeding/Reproduction:
  Monodactylus Argenteus has not been bred in captivity.

Availability:
   This species of Monodactylus, the Mono or Mono Argentus, is commonly available.

Author: Ken Childs

Add your comment here!
Latest Comments
You broke the cardinal rule of stocking. All fish of the same species must be kept singly or in a school, preferably 4 minimum. Brackish fish, in particular, will kill any new tankmates of the same species, especially juveniles, especially if there's only one or two. Adding one fish to an established school might work, or vice versa-- adding a school to be with a singly kept fish. pete 2009-04-23
The mono is a great looking fish and they are full saltwater aquarium fish as they mature. I have one in my reef tank. I had 2 but they are very nippy as an adult and it killed the other one that I had. I have not been able to add more since then, he kills them all. He actually hunts them down and attacks them. But none the less, they are very attractive saltwater aquarium fish. They seem to retain the yellow coloration in their fins better in saltwtaer. ALAICA 2008-06-11

Back to Perches and Perch-like Fishes

Author: Ken Childs
Edited by Animal-World