Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island, and the southern Great Barrier Reef.
Size: 5 inches (12 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits outer reef slopes and usually found at depths between 65 to about 100 feet (20 – 30 m) where it feeds on zooplankton.
General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the trade, and quite attractive. Males have a frontal pinkish body with the aft body bright reddish orange with a pale blue patch in this area and at the base of the tail. Females have a frontal pinkish orange body with the aft body pale yellow.
Moderately hardy and shy, and best maintained in aquaria with some rocky caves and strong water movement that has a large unencumbered area for schooling, which will occur in the upper third of this area. Tankmates should be peaceful and all should be last to enter the aquarium.
As to diet, will eat most regular aquarium foods, e.g., finely chopped various frozen or fresh meaty foods such as mysis, squid, fish flesh, shrimp, clam, etc., and should be offered at least twice daily and dispensed upstream so water currents carry food to their location.
Sometimes difficult to get feeding, and if so, fortified live adult brine shrimp may be necessary until they accept other types of aquarium foods, e.g., frozen foods and fresh marine fish and invertebrate flesh.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Percoidei
Family: Serranidae
Subfamily: Anthiinae
Genus: Pseudanthias
FYI: Best maintained in small groups, with ‘only’ one male and several females.
Can jump out of the aquarium, therefore some sort of cover may be necessary.
Experience Level: Intermediate
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Carnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Fish Safe: Yes
Invertebrate Safe: Yes
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Peaceful
Minimum Tank Size: 100 gallons
Temperature Range: 70 - 78°F (21 – 26°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
