Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Philippines and Taiwan to Vanuatu, south to northwestern Australia and New Caledonia; eastern Caroline and Marshall Island in Micronesia.
Size: 3 inches (8 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits caves, holes and areas under ledges in lagoon and seaward reefs and usually found between depths of 3 to 100 feet (1 – 30 m) where it feeds on small worms and crustaceans/zooplankton.
General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade and usually brown overall with yellow spots forming horizontal rows on the body.
Can be maintained in reef or fish-only aquariums having some rocky hiding places/crevices to take shelter, as this species is secretive, especially upon first entering the aquarium. May become bolder and openly associate with its tankmates, but will pick on smaller fishes.
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. Therefore a meaty diet such as enriched chopped fresh fish or shrimp flesh, and/or frozen carnivore foods should be fed once daily.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Percoidei
Family: Pseudochromidae
Subfamily: Pseudochrominae
Genus: Pseudochromis
FYI: Since they are extremely fast moving and somewhat secretive, if having to remove it from a reef aquarium with many hiding areas, it would be a major task!
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: 30+ gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 81°F (22 – 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
