Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Red Sea to Tuamotu Islands, north to Southern Japan, and south to the Rapa Islands.
Size: 7 inches (17 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits clear lagoons and seaward reefs, often in surge zones, and usually found at depths between 15 – 100 feet (5 – 30 m) where it feeds on zooplankton and benthic invertebrate.
General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the trade, having a darkish body and a yellow belly and lower head, with a large dark blue eyespot edged in light blue on the rear dorsal and rear anal fin.
Can be maintained in either fish-only or reef aquariums with each having a fine (0.5 – 2 mm) substrate of at least 4 inches (10 cm) in depth.
Requires a meaty diet, including fortified brine shrimp, mysis, black worms and other meaty type marine-based frozen foods. Needs two or three feedings per day. May be very difficult to get feeding in the beginning, and if so, try some live foods, such as black worms (Lumbriculus variegatus) or adult fortified brine shrimp.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Labroidei
Family: Labridae
Genus: Anampses
FYI: Should only be kept in aquaria with a deep sandbed as they bury themselves at night, and when so, may often disturb bottom dwelling corals such as brain corals and Heliofungia corals.
Will eat ornamental crustaceans and fanworms, and may pick on Tridacna clams.
Difficult to acclimate and maintain, and also a poor shipper.
One male per aquarium.
May jump out of uncovered aquariums.
Experience Level: Professional
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Carnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Fish Safe: Yes
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Peaceful
Minimum Tank Size: 75 gallons
Temperature Range: 72- 82°F (22 – 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
