Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Western Atlantic Ocean: South Carolina to Bermuda, Honduras, and northern South America.
Size: 11 inches (27 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits heavy coral growths on outer reef areas and usually found at depths between 50 – 85 feet (15– 25 m) where it feeds on benthic hard-shelled invertebrate.
General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the trade with the adult having a reddish body, with yellow on the aft dorsal and upper rear body. Juveniles are yellow overall.
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, including those containing Spirulina, 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.
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.
More than one specimen can be maintained in the same aquarium, however, it would be best to introduce all at the same time and make them the last fishes to enter the aquarium.
Red colors tend to fade in captivity.
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: 55 - 78°F (13 – 25°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
