Butterflies and BTA's?

[Perched Urchin]

It is clear from reading many, many threads that the propensity for coral nipping/eating varies from individual to individual specimen when it comes to butterflies that are deemed to be at least somewhat reef compatible. There are also many reefers on this forum (like me) that seem to find butterflies irresistible and are willing to risk the nipping/eating of corals, tube worms, clams, etc. in order to keep butterflies.

Something I would like to hear about, if anyone has experience, is success or failure in keeping butterflies in reefs with BTA's. I know many butterflies are known for eating small anemones such as aiptasia and mojanos, but what about a 5" BTA? I am particularly interested in the copperband butterfly, margined coralfish and C. falcula, which have all been known to eat the pest anemones, as well as the yellow longnose, which is not known as a pest anemone eater.

I keep a GBTA and a RBTA, the first being 8" or so and the second is 5". My mated ocellaris clowns host the GBTA and a mated pair of porcelain anemone crabs host the RBTA. While I am willing to forego certain corals, clams, etc. to keep butterflies, my clowns and crabs won't be so forgiving if someone kills their homes.

 

[SDguy]

I've kept butterflies with BTA's before...

auriga and ulietensis both ate them

saddleback, blackback, and punctatofasciatus didn't.

 

[snorvich]

I keep a GBTA and a RBTA, the first being 8" or so and the second is 5". My mated ocellaris clowns host the GBTA and a mated pair of porcelain anemone crabs host the RBTA. While I am willing to forego certain corals, clams, etc. to keep butterflies, my clowns and crabs won't be so forgiving if someone kills their homes.

If you want to use the terminology correctly, the anemones are the hosts not the occupants. Note Peter's answer above. Raccoon butterfly fish are likely to eat anemones as well as those that Peter mentioned. Any butterfly that is an aiptasia eater is very likely to eat your anemones.

 

[Big E]

Any butterfly that is an aiptasia eater is very likely to eat your anemones.

I'd have to disagree on this comment based on my experiences. Muelleris eat aips & don't eat anemones & neither did my semilavartis(ate everything else) or pakastanis. I'd say there are probably more species that won't touch anemones than will. An aggressive pair of clowns will also have a say if an anemone will be a meal.

BF's are a diverse group as far as tastes. There aren't any hard fast rules because each specific species prefers to nip or eat only certain corals & some everything. Some will only devour softies & others only Sps for example.

Until more BF's are kept with corals, it will be hard to make any recommendations. Unfortunately quite a few are delicate, so most people don't have success keeping them long enough to find out.

I would say most BF's that we are capable of keeping alive long term will decimate your population of tube worms & any other worms it finds.

 

[Dakota Reef]

I've kept a Longnose Butterfly for many years and a Copperband for a little more than a year now and I've always had Bubble Tip Anemones in the same tank. None of my butterflys have ever shown the slightest interest in them.

My pair of percs would certainly defend their anemone if it was needed but the butterflys have never even noticed the literally dozens of baby GBTAs that have divided and made their way throughout the tank over the years.

 

[Perched Urchin]

Thanks Peter, Ed and Dakota. This is the type of specific actual experience information I am looking for.
I have personally seen a couple of reef tanks that have copperbands with BTAs so I thought it must work okay with at least some of them. It seems that even the CBBs that do readily eat aiptasia only go after the smaller ones according to most accounts I have read. If they don't want a 1.5" aiptasia, a 6" BTA wouldn't be tops on their menu, I guess.
Anyone have any experience with the C. falcula? Besides the CBB and YLN, that is one that I find particularly pretty and is considered somewhat reef compatible. I would like to try that one down the road if there is reasonable possibility of it leaving the BTAs alone.

 

[travis32]

The LFS has a copperband that's eating Brine shrimp according to the store staff. The Fish store has it in a coral tank by itself. lots of softies, SPS, etc. I was considering picking it up. I have a tang that I need ot transfer out of QT first though. Hopefully today or tomorrow. If the copperband is still there, I might consider picking it up.. I was concerned about whether it would go after my RBTA or not. IT's around 3-5" I do have some stray aiptasia that I need to get rid of... If he'd find them for me, that'd be awesome.

I didn't get him yet, because I am afraid he'd gover the RBTA. I paid too much for it to have it become a meal.