Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Southern Japan south to Taiwan, New Caledonia, and Queensland Australia.
Size: 12 inches (30 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits seaward reefs and usually found at depths between 15 – 100 feet (5– 30 m) where it feeds on benthic hard-shelled invertebrate.
General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the trade and an attractive species having a white body with numerous orange vertical bands edged in blue from the snout to the aft body, with the caudal peduncle bluish-black, and having bright blue teeth/tusks.
Even though it’s somewhat possible to maintain in a reef aquarium, its best maintained in large fish-only aquariums having many rocky hiding places and lots of open swimming area.
As to diet, products such as marine fish and crustacean flesh, clams, and other marine meaty foods should make up the majority of their diet and be enriched and chopped into fine pieces and fed twice daily.
May be difficult to feed in the early days in the aquarium, as it’s often shy when first introduced into the aquarium. If so, (if small live marine fish are not available) live glass/grass shrimp, small crabs, e.g., fiddler crabs and/or live guppies/mollies may be needed to sustain the fish. Will become bolder as it ages.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Labroidei
Family: Labridae
Genus: Choerodon
FYI: May eat smaller fishes, snails, tubeworms, ornamental shrimps, crabs, brittle stars, sea stars and urchins.
May spit a jet of water at the surface. It’s not known why they do this.
Usually sleep in caves and crevices.
Hardy species. One per aquarium
May disturb sandbeds by using its pectoral fins to excavate depressions in the sand to find buried prey.
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: 72 - 82°F (22 – 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
