Also Known As: Blackheaded Filefish, Orangetail Filefish

Compatibility and Behavior
The Red Tail Filefish (Pervagor melanocephalus) is a compact, deep-bodied fish with a bold split personality in its coloring: a dark brown to green head and forebody that transitions abruptly into a warm orange to reddish rear half, with a dark blotch around the gill opening. In place of scales, the skin has a sandpaper-like texture that gives the family its name, and the tall first dorsal spine locks upright, letting the fish wedge itself firmly into a crevice when threatened. Color is somewhat mood-dependent, so individuals can shift tone subtly with surroundings or social interaction, and as a fun side note, a threatened filefish can grind its front teeth together to produce a low growling sound. It moves slowly and deliberately, hovering over the rockwork and picking food from crevices with its tiny mouth. It's not reef safe: that grazing instinct means it may nip soft and stony coral polyps, sponges, tubeworms, clams, and small crustaceans, so a fish-only or FOWLR display is the safer home, though on the plus side it's been observed eating aiptasia, which some keepers value. It's exceptionally peaceful and rather shy, so house it with calm, similarly deliberate feeders like cardinalfish, jawfish, gobies, dragonets, firefish, and leopard wrasses, while tangs, triggers, large wrasses, and angelfish will simply outcompete it at the food bowl. One handling tip: the serrated dorsal spine tangles badly in fine mesh, so use a rubberized net or a container instead.

Aquarium Requirements
A well-established tank of 50 to 55 gallons or larger suits this fish nicely, with a longer footprint preferred so it has room to cruise while grazing. Aquascape with varied rockwork offering abundant crevices, overhangs, and tight vertical gaps, since the ability to wedge into a hiding spot is exactly what gives this fish the confidence to come out and behave naturally in the open. A macroalgae-rich setup is genuinely ideal, providing both grazing surface and visual cover, and a mature system with established biofilm and micro-life gives it plenty to pick at between feedings. Keep flow low to moderate, since filefish are slow, fluttering swimmers that struggle in heavy current, and medium lighting suits them well. Stable conditions on the cooler side of the tropical range, with low nutrients and consistent water changes, help it thrive. The main thing to plan for is initial feeding, since a new arrival can be slow to recognize prepared foods, so start with gut-loaded live brine, tubifex, or small bloodworms mixed with frozen offerings until it makes the connection. Because it has a high metabolism and can lose condition quickly, offer multiple small feedings daily rather than one large one, and soak foods in vitamin and fatty-acid supplements to keep the coloration bright.

Specifications
Approximate Size: 1.75–3"
Diet: Omnivore; frozen mysis, enriched brine shrimp, shaved shrimp, squid, scallop, and clam, plus spirulina and marine algae preparations for grazing, fed 3 or more small meals daily
Origin: Indo-West Pacific
Care Level: Moderate
Reef Safe: No
Temperament: Very peaceful and shy toward other species, but may be aggressive toward its own genus, so keep singly
Special Considerations: Not reef safe, as it may nip coral polyps, sponges, tubeworms, clams, and small crustaceans, so it's best in a FOWLR display (though it may also eat aiptasia). A shy, deliberate feeder that needs calm tankmates and patient initial feeding to settle in.