Reef safe butterfly fish?

Discussion in 'Tropical Fish' started by reefchaos, May 29, 2009.

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  1. reefchaos

    reefchaos Flamingo Tongue

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    I really wanna get one but heard they are not for the reefs... is there one or two species of small butterfly fish out there that can actually be kept in a reef aquarium?
     
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  3. flynhawaiianz28

    flynhawaiianz28 Purple Spiny Lobster

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    i'm keeping a copperband butterfly in my 90 w/ coral but nothing to crazy...a couple types of mushrooms...star polyps and some zoas and another type of polyps and I've never had any troubles
     
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  4. steve wright

    steve wright Super Moderator

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    I cant remember any being described as perfectly reef safe to be honest
    but the lenght of snout does give an indication of feeding methods

    long snout butterflies like the copper band and the yellow long nose use those snouts to route creatures out of crevises and holes - so should in theory be ok with most corals but not trusted with colonies of small fan worms , tube worms , like the ones found in porites corals etc

    short snouted butterflies vary in what they eat but sponges do figure highly in the species diet in general, and in the aquarium anything resembling a sponge may be sampled every so often and a taste developed for your expensive additions

    Steve
     
  5. flynhawaiianz28

    flynhawaiianz28 Purple Spiny Lobster

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    steve gave ya pretty good advice so just take caution w/ a butterfly but I seem to love copperband and I try to keep it happy so hopefully he doesnt turn to any of my inexpensive coral for food
     
  6. schackmel

    schackmel Giant Squid

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    like said, there really is not a perfectly safe reef butterfly....and from my recent experience even reef safe fish (non-butterflies) are not completely reef safe! Recently had to capture several fish from my tank after they turned on my corals! However of the butterflies copperbanded is known to be one of the safer ones to keep in a reef. I personally will not keep one in my tank, but I am a little more skittish now

    On the downside, copperbandeded butterflies (butterlies in general) do not do well usually in the aquarium setting. You can get the occassional one that will thrive however many more starve and perish. Make sure the butterfly that you get is eating in the LFS...watch it eat before you get one
     
  7. Tangster

    Tangster 3reef Sponsor

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    Only one I know of that I would consider as reef safe is the Australian copper band its about 3x's more expensive then the Pacific species . You have to trust your dealer and he his supplier .. As for the pacific I'd say its a 90% chance there will be few issues .. I have had them and be fine then every once in awhile then you get that one ! But with the Australian species I have never seen or heard of anyone myself included that had a problem with them..
     
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  9. salsalito25

    salsalito25 Stylophora

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    I had a lemon butterfly in a 70gal reef and i had no problems with it eating my corals or nippin at my clam.. .I will say that every fish can or may eat or nipp at thing that it wants it just depends on the temperment of the fish and if you are wilin to try that fish that caught your eye... I was real lucky with this one heres a pic of him and my old 70 gal tank hence the 2006 photo date..



    [​IMG]



    P.s and i was experimrnting with pvc to lift the rock up... and well was a eye sore Never again will i do that. i was still in Newbie stage hahaha....
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2009
  10. horkn

    horkn Giant Squid

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  11. PackLeader

    PackLeader Giant Squid

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    I have kept both Copperbands and Heniochus without ever having a single one of either ever nip anything. I would feel WAY more comfortable with either of those in my tank than the dwarf angels everyone seems to love to throw at reefs ;)
    The only thing is, if you try a henio, it ABSOLUTELY HAS TO BE a heniochus diphreutes. Any other species will rip a reef apart.