Animal-World > Marine - Saltwater Fish > Puffers - Boxfish - Porcupinefish > Cowfish

Cowfish

Longhorn Cowfish ~ Long-horned Cowfish

Family: OstraciidaeLactoria cornutaPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   Probably the most well known of the boxfish! The Cowfish, Longhorn Cowfish, or Long-horned Cowfish can be seen in almost every public aquarium. They are hardy and they love to eat!

   The Cowfish, Longhorn Cowfish, or Long-horned Cowfish are easily recognized by the horns on the forehead and the bottom rear of the body. These horns make them hard for predators to swallow. In any case their flesh is poisonous and would not make for a very good meal!

  NOTE: The Cowfishes in the genus Lactoria, especially this Cowfish, Longhorn Cowfish, or Long-horned Cowfish must be dealt with carefully. If overly harrassed or stressed, it can release the toxic substance, ostracitoxin. This is a response to stress and can poison your tank. Make sure you keep this fish in a comfortable and not overly stressed environment, and keep it well fed!

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

Geographic Distribution Lactoria cornuta Data provided by FishBase.org Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Tetraodontiformes Family: Ostraciidae

Maintenance difficulty:    The Cowfish, Longhorn Cowfish, or Long-horned Cowfish is easy to keep. Boxfish are not challenging if you feed young specimens several times a day. Start with brine shrimp.
  The puffer's teeth will continually grow throughout its life so you will need to supplement their diet with some hard shelled foods. Occasionally offering foods such as live ghost shrimp and various live snails will keep their teeth worn down.

Maintenance:    Feed all kinds of live and frozen foods. The boxfish also eats greenstuffs. Best to feed small amounts several times a day. We generally feed squid, shrimp (the same kind people eat), mussels, and all kinds of chopped up fish. Be sure to wash these foods thoroughly before feeding. A good vegetable formula like Formula II is also beneficial. Live fish will also be taken but should not be fed exclusively.

Habitat: Natural geographic location:    Cowfish, Longhorn Cowfish, or Long-horned Cowfish are found in the Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Marquesan and Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island. Inhabits inshore on coastal muddy or sandy habitats in still bays, and commonly found in harbours and estuaries. Small juveniles on protected shallow mudflats. Found in weedy areas near rocks or reefs. Juveniles often near river mouths and in brackish water. Adults are solitary, juveniles often form small groups. Large adults are shy. Feeds on benthic invertebrates by blowing away the sand

Foods:    All kinds of meaty foods and greenstuffs. A bottom feeder. Puffers are primarily predatory fish in the wild though they do graze on a bit of algae. This puffer will enjoy all kinds of meaty foods including shrimp, worms, clams, various mussels, snails, tunicates, and fish.They are not picky eaters and will quickly become adapted to a variety of prepared aquarium foods and an occasional algae wafer. Flake food is not recommended. Even though they may eat it, puffers will not thrive on it.

Social Behaviors:    Apparently this fish is sometimes aggressive and sometimes not. Keep an eye on newcomers with an established boxfish and any new boxfish that are added to the aquarium.

Sex: Sexual differences:    Apparently many boxfish are easy to sex but we haven't found this information yet.

Light: Recommended light levels:    No special requirements.

Temperature:    No special requirements. Normal temperatures for marine fish is between 74 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit.

Length/Diameter of fish:    Cowfish, Longhorn Cowfish, or Long-horned Cowfish adults can grow to 50.0 cm (20 inches). They usually only get about 40.0 cm (16 inches) in aquariums. Their size can be deceiving since they are usually very small at the pet stores.

Minimum Tank Length/Size:    A minimum 100 gallon aquarium is recommended.

Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong    No special requirements.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom    No special requirements.

Availability:    This fish is available from time to time.

• Lactoria cornuta : $44.99
• Lactoria cornuta : $59.99
• Lactoria cornuta : $34.99

Lactoria Cornuta Longhorn Cowfish Medium Offered By: That Pet Place Price: $44.99

Lactoria Cornuta Longhorn Cowfish Large Offered By: That Pet Place Price: $59.99

Lactoria Cornuta Longhorn Cowfish Small/medium Offered By: That Pet Place Price: $34.99

Lastest Comments on Cowfish View all 22 comments on Cowfish Add Your Comment

Gigi - 2009-11-23 I dont have a cowfish. I want one though. Any advise? Do they need a salt water tank or a freshwater tank? I need 2 know so I can c if I can get one. PLZ RESOND! Click For Replies (4) Scott - 2010-02-25 Cow fish require a salt water marine tank! I'd suggest reading about salt water marine before making the commitment. Cheers Jenna - 2010-08-31 Hey Gigi, they are a lot of fun. They need saltwater and lots of it. When getting a tank you need to realize that rule of thumb is 1 fish per 10 gallons. So if you get 30 gallon you can put 3 fish in it. But also think about rocks they take up space too. So good luck hopefully you will enjoy your cow fish. Anonymous - 2010-09-01 Salt. Krista - 2011-09-14 The rule of thumb 1 fish per 10 gallons is _wrong_. The best way to plan a fish tank is to have about 5 gallons per every adult inch of fish. So because the cowfish can get up to 20 inches you'd want at least 100 gallons just for that one fish. If you add any more fish, any rocks, sand or plants that take up room you need _more_ gallons. Reply

Kuba - 2011-05-31 If I buy cow fish as a baby can i keep him in 28 gal nano cube? How long i can have him for ? I heard they grow up slowly. Click For Replies (2) Charlie Roche - 2011-05-31 28 gallons is big enough as the cow fish will supposedly be 20 inches as an adult. Figure one inch of fish (as an adult) for each gallong of water. 20 inches so at least 20 gallons as you have to subtract for plants and flooring and decorations. Leave your question up and I would look into this a little more cuz some say problems with these nano cubes. Krista - 2011-09-14 No. 28 gallons is not big enough. The Longhorn Cowfish needs at least 100-150 gallons at full length. Even as a baby 28 gallons won't be big enough and he will probably die and poison everything else in your tank. Reply

NYCMEDICCOH - 2010-12-09 Just bought my first cowfish today he's about 4 inches long and very different looking. My kids and I like him everything seems to me going alright for now my other fish aren't harassing him too much. He's in an aggressive tank and he came from an aggressive tank with a clown trigger. I've read the horror stories hope I'm not going to be the producer of one. Click For Replies (1) Charlie Roche - 2011-08-19 Article attached and sometimes agressive and sometimes not - keep an eye out. If it will fit in his mouth - he will probably eat it Reply

Matt - 2010-01-01 I've had my cow since he was the size of my finger nail - he's now over 6". These guys have a massive personality - they are prone to whitespot though - since he was little I've given him a lot of fresh water baths to get rid of it. I now simply put my hand in, he swims over to it, and I lift him out of the tank into the fresh water. He seems to know and like it! They spit to get attention, and go black in various places when annoyed. Pride of my tank and the best fish I've ever had - long live "yellow!!!" Click For Replies (3) craig - 2010-09-24 Best treatment for whitespot especially white spot is a product called Myaxin. It contains malachite green and formulin. Give a fresh water bath once a day for three days for 5 minutes and keep the fish in a medical tank for 1 month with a salinity of 15ppt. Do a daily 50% water change for the month. Once the one month treatment is up, feed crushed garlic regularly, it's great for your fishes immunity and keeping dreaded white spot at bay. michele - 2010-10-06 Matt, does he really swim to your hand? I was in an aquarium store last week and saw these guys for the first time. I am however a new aquarium person so I will wait a good, long time before I get one. They are amazing. The store had 2 that followed me everywhere I went. I never saw a fish so in tune with a person. I bought some books and will spend a lot of time researching. Most places tell you not to get one. That they are too fragile to keep in a home aquarium.....I sure don't want to get one and have it get sick or die. They are just so cute. I have never seen such a friendly fish...for me it was love at first sight! Marjorie Biedron - 2011-01-11 Is your cowfish still alive? Reply

GS - 2005-01-04 If anyone sees a cowfish at an Aquarium store and decide you have just got to have one. Be sure to ask if this fish is poisenous because I was not told that and I put him in a 120 gallon aquarium with a few other fish that were peaceful and not aggressive and then a few days later he started having trouble swimming, I reckon he got stressed and died and poisoned my whole tank and I lost about $500 worth of fish. If I was told that it would possibly release poison, I would have never bought it. Click For Replies (4) Scott - 2010-08-26 Did the toxin kill the fish right away when he died or did they die off slowly for the next few days 1 by 1? Kaylee Cheddah Bendit - 2011-02-24 I would suggest doing your own research. Long horned cow fish are from the puffer family. When puffer fish get scared they puff up and secrete a poison as a defense mechanism. (sorry if my spelling is not up to par). They are cool to look at but they are a fish that doesn't like to be stressed. So fish swimming around them can stress out. I would suggest a puffer. They are a lot easier to handle and don't need to be watched as much. Im so sorry you had these troubles and were not told the right information. Im not sure where you are located but you can look at www.wetspotaquatics.com we also have a facebook. www.facebook.com/wetspotaquaticsinc Family owned from a hobbiests point of view. Not someone who just wants your money. We also do shipping. I hope I helped a little bit! Coral Carfora - 2011-03-14 If you have actually read about the fish before you bought one, you would've known that when the fish dies it releases something that will kill all the other fish in the tank. I'm sorry for your losses, but before you go out and get another one, do your research. Ka Ming - 2011-04-29 Is it true? I love cowfish! Have you heard of a Frilled shark, Dwarf goby, Meagalodon (Shark as bigger as a whale shark!), Portugueusge(Jelly fish), small or medium or big mouth Bass, Crappie, Greenland Sleeper shark, Horn Shark and Goliath Grouper? Reply

LINDA HAYNES - 2011-02-15 Can I keep two clown fish with a carpet anemone, and a wolf eel? I also have a cow fish. What can I get that will get along with all of these in the same tank? Is there something I should remove or add? Any suggestions please, thanks. Reply

Add your comment!

View all 22 comments on Cowfish

Back to Puffers - Boxfish - Porcupinefish