Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Western Pacific Ocean: Malaysia to New Caledonia, north to Southern Japan, and south to Great Barrier Reef.
Size: 16 inches (40 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits inner and outer coastal lagoons, reef channels, and outer-reef slopes and spends the daytime in caves and under ledges at depths between 15 to 80 feet (5 – 25 m) and feeds at night on shrimp, crabs, snails, worms and various other benthic invertebrates and small fishes.
General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the trade, with the juvenile having a black and white striped body, with the adult a silvery body with horizontal black lines above the mid body and black spots on the yellow dorsal, anal and tail fins.
Requires a very large fish-only aquarium with wide-open swimming areas and areas/caves to take shelter during daytime hours As to diet, newcomers are almost always shy and difficult to get feeding, therefore require fortified live brine shrimp and/or live glass/grass shrimp to get feeding. Once accepting aquarium foods, a wide variety of frozen and fresh meaty foodstuffs (chopped squid, fish flesh, scallops, shrimp, clam, etc.) can be offered and fed 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, they grow fast and soon outgrow most hobbyist aquariums.
May always require live foods!
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: 200 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 – 28°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 -1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
