Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Indonesia, New Guinea, and Philippines.
Size: 16 inches (40 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits drop-off areas in large schools and often found at depths between 3 – 150 feet (1 – 45 m) where it feeds on zooplankton, small fishes, jellyfish, worms, and other small invertebrate.
General Husbandry: Extremely rare in the trade. Best maintained in a large fish-only aquarium with wide-open swimming areas and with peaceful tankmates that are not fin nippers as this is a slow moving species. Slow smaller fishes are at risk of being eaten.
As to diet, requires a meaty diet and will accept all kinds of meaty food stuffs whether its flake foods, frozen or freeze-dried, or freshly chopped fish and shrimp flesh, and should be fed two or three times daily.
Since it consumes large amounts of food, it's a major waste producer, therefore additional filtration is highly recommended.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Acanthuroidei
Family: Ephippidae
Genus: Platax
FYI: Fond of earthworms.
Better suited for the large fish-only public aquariums.
Experience Level: Professional
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Carnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Fish Safe: No
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Peaceful
Minimum Tank Size: 180 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 80°F (22 – 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
