Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-Pacific Ocean: Philippines and Taiwan to Hawaiian, Marquesas, and Ducie Islands, north to Southern Japan and Bonin Islands, and south to New Caledonia and Austral Islands.
Size: 6 inches (15 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits shallow reef flats and fore-reef slopes rich in stony SPS coral growth at depths between 3 – 100 feet (1 - 30 m) and feeds mainly on SPS coral polyps and minor amounts of algae.
General Husbandry: This rarely collected and somewhat drab species, has a black body with its scales appearing white, a wide black eye band edged in yellow followed with a wide vertical white band on the frontal body, white dorsal, black anal fin, with the tail black at the peduncle, then whitish blue, then edged in a yellow band that is itself edged in black. Juveniles have a clear tail.
Even though it somewhat feeds on algae, it needs a steady diet of SPS coral polyps to survive!
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Percoidei
Family: Chaetodontidae
Genus: Chaetodon
FYI: Best left in the wild!
Experience Level: Professional
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Corallivore
Coral Safe: No
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Peaceful or non-aggressive
Minimum Tank Size: 75 gallons
Temperature Range: 74 - 81°F (23 – 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 -1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
