Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Western Pacific Ocean: Indonesia to Solomon Islands, Philippines, and south to Great Barrier Reef.
Size: 5 inches (14 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits coastal harbors, lagoons and outer reef slopes at depths between 3 to about 200 feet (3 – 60 m) and usually seen in small groups, and feeds on floating algae and zooplankton.
General Husbandry: Has several different body colors, from black to grey to somewhat silvery overall, some with a white tail and/or a horizontal orange/yellow line on the body. Colors depend on area of collection.
Easily adapts to general aquarium life in peaceful reef or fish-only aquariums.
As to diet, a meaty diet, e.g., live fortified brine shrimp and/or finely chopped various frozen or fresh meaty foods such as mysis, squid, fish flesh, shrimp, clam, etc, and plant material, e.g., flake foods, especially those containing Spirulina are usually eagerly accepted and should be offered several times daily.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Labroidei
Family: Pomacentridae
Subfamily: Pomacentrinae
Genus: Acanthochromis
FYI: This species protects their brood from the egg stage, quite similar to that of anemonefish, through hatching and onto the fully developed juvenile stage. There is no pelagic larval stage unlike the vast majority of other coral reef fishes and offspring live quite near where they hatched.
Best maintained in small groups.
In the wild, this species defends stony corals from being fed upon by Crown-of-Thorns sea star!
The juvenile seen in this photo, supplied by an aquarist in the Philippines, loses its yellow bar as it matures and turns a drab brownish color.
This is the only species in this genus.
Experience Level: Beginner
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Diet: Omnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Invertebrate Safe: Yes
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Peaceful or non-aggressive
Minimum Tank Size: 55 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 84°F (22 – 28°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.010 -1.025
pH: 7.2 - 8.5
