Assessor flavissimus
The Assessor flavissimus, often called the golden phantom, is naturally found in the western Pacific, along the coasts of Australia-New Guinea. The fish stay in close proximity to coral reefs, near caves and crevices. The fish are well adapted to moving in tight places and can swim upside down, sideways or in almost any position as required by their surroundings. The fish can be found swimming alone, in pairs or in small groups at depths of 5 to 20 m. The Golden Phantoms are very attractive and hardy fish, and provide decoration in almost any aquarium. These fish are seldom imported into the domestic market, which explains their high price.
Assessor flavissimus have an elongated body shape. The basic coloration is yellow. All fins are also yellow, dorsal and anal fins have reddish edging. Sexual differences are not expressed. The maximum size of fish is 6-6,5 cm. Fish grow very slowly, so young fish can be initially contained in small nano aquariums and as they grow, move to aquariums of greater capacity.
Assessor flavissimus are among the best reef aquarium fish. They are permanently found in caves, among rock canopies and in other shaded areas of the aquarium. Quite often the fish can be seen upright or belly-up. These fish are non-aggressive and do not bother anyone. Keep Assessors preferably in a small group of 4-5 specimens. For such a number of fish need an aquarium of 400 liters.
The Assessor flavissimus quickly adapt to life in almost any aquarium. They require some sort of live rock for shelter, they quickly become accustomed to the lighting parameters, water temperature and current (movement). Newly acquired fish are initially very timid and prefer to spend all their time in a cave. Gradually, once they become accustomed to their surroundings, the fish swim out of shelters and spend most of their time swimming in the open. The aquarium must be covered, as the fish often jump out of the water.
Water parameters: temperature 24-28° C, hardness dH 8-12°, pH 8,1-8,4, salinity 1.020-1.024. Recommended to make partial water changes 1 every 2 weeks or 1 time per month, replacing up to 1/5 of the aquarium water with fresh.
Medium light intensity, 10-12 hours per day.
Under natural conditions, Assessor flavissimus feed on plankton. The newly purchased fish should be fed with frozen minnows and cyclops, and then gradually accustomed to different dry food, if necessary. The menu of the fish should ideally consist of meat products including krill, shrimp meat, squid, clams and mussels. It is also advisable to add various herbal supplements to the food. The fish should be fed twice a day.
Reproduction
Under suitable conditions, Assessor flavissimus can spawn, although the number of surviving fry from the total number of eggs is small. Immediately after the female spawns, further care of the eggs is taken over by the male, who hardly feeds during the care of the eggs.
The main supply of fish to the domestic market comes from their natural habitat.
