Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Western Indian Ocean: Red Sea to the Comoro, Madagascar and Mauritius Islands, and north Gulf of Oman.
Size: 17 inches (43 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits shallow coastal lagoons near sandbars and estuaries, at depths between 3 – 180 feet (1 – 50 m) where large groups take shelter under overhangs or in caves during daytime and feed at night on shrimp, crabs, snails, worms and various other benthic invertebrates and small fishes.
General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade. Quite attractive with adults having a silvery body with a yellowish belly and grey-blue head. All fins are yellow, with the body, dorsal and tail having many black spots. Juveniles are black and white stripped lengthwise.
Requires a very large fish-only aquarium with wide-open swimming areas and caves or overhangs to take shelter during daytime. As to diet, newcomers are often easy to get feeding as they accept most aquarium foods, e.g., a wide variety of frozen and fresh meaty foodstuffs (chopped squid, fish flesh, scallops, shrimp, clam, etc.) and should be offered several times daily. Any ornamental crustaceans and small fish in the aquarium will also be consumed.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Percoidei
Family: Lutjanidae
Genus: Plectorhinchus
FYI: Usually seen as juveniles in the trade, however, grow fast and soon outgrow most hobbyist aquariums.
Better maintained in small groups.
May stir up the substrate looking for food.
Experience Level: Intermediate
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Carnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Invertebrate Safe: No
Fish Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Peaceful or non-aggressive
Minimum Tank Size: 240 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 – 28°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 -1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
