Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-Pacific Ocean: Red Sea and East Africa to Marshall Islands, Samoa, Japan
Size: 7 inches (17 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits dense coral growths and areas near Black Coral and gorgonians and usually found at depths between 20 – 85 feet (6– 25 m) where it feeds on benthic hard-shelled invertebrate.
General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the trade having a reddish orange color with white spots along the base of the dorsal fin.
Can be maintained in fish-only or reef aquariums, which should provide hiding places and lots of open swimming area. Preferable tankmates are groupers, angelfishes, hawkfishes, and moderately aggressive triggerfishes.
Requires a meaty diet, including fortified brine shrimp, mysis, black worms and other meaty type marine-based frozen foods, including flake foods, and should be fed two or three times per day.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Labroidei
Family: Labridae
Genus: Bodianus
FYI: Can annoy smaller peaceful species and eat those smaller than itself.
Since they mostly feed upon worms and crustaceans, they pose a danger in reef tanks.
Will disturb sandbeds by blowing jets of water into it to find buried prey.
Usually sleep under rock shelves, on or under a coral branch, in a crevice, or directly on the sand surface.
Hardy species.
Do not have any similar colored species in the aquarium, as this species will become very aggressive towards it. One per aquarium.
Experience Level: Intermediate
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Diet: Carnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Fish Safe: With caution
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Moderately aggressive
Minimum Tank Size: 100 gallons
Temperature Range: 74- 82°F (23 – 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
