Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Red Sea south to Sodwana Bay, South Africa and east to the Hawaiian, Marquesan, and Society islands, north to Southern Japan and south to New Caledonia and Rapa.
Size: 5 inches (14 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits crevices and coral branches, especially Acropora, Porites, Millepora, Pocillopora, and Seriatopora on coastal reefs and in bays, and usually found at depths between 10 – 65 feet (3 – 20 m) where it feeds mostly on coral polyps.
General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade and having a whitish body with numerous reddish-brown blotches. Males haves some red on the body and fins.
Best maintained in fish-only aquariums having rocky areas with caves/crevices to hide/rest in when needing to do so. Can be mistaken for an algae eating blenny as its similar in size and looks, but has a higher dorsal fin and reddish spot coloration.
Highly territorial and feeds almost exclusively on coral polyps! Tankmates must be at least moderately aggressive,
Requires a meaty diet, including fortified brine shrimp, mysis, and other meaty type marine fresh or frozen foods, which should be finely chopped and fed several times daily. However, usually disregards regular aquarium foods and often starves to death if not provided live coral polyps!
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Blennioidei
Family: Blenniidae
Genus: Exallias
FYI: Best left in the wild.
Experience Level: Professional
Temperament: Aggressive
Diet: Carnivore
Coral Safe: No
Fish Safe: No
Invertebrate Safe: No
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Larger and aggressive
Minimum Tank Size: 60 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 – 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
