butterflies in reefs

pookstreet said:
LOL..........true fish heads are a superstitious bunch. Congrats on the burgessi. What size is it?
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Thanks Kenny, just a little guy, maybe 2.5"? I always wanted a tinkeri, but I always see them HUGE, so I figured I'd give up a little yellow highlighting and get the burgessi :) He's a darn skittish little thing, though!
 
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I know a lot of people pine for tiny fish but that's almost the perfect size to me. They are big enough to withstand some harsh handling but small enough to still be able to adjust to a life in our tanks. For some reason, the angels and butterflies I've had tend to be quite skittish at that size. They dart around so fast that I worry they might bump into something and hurt themselves, which can lead to infections and you know the rest. Can't wait to see some pix.
 
pookstreet said:
For some reason, the angels and butterflies I've had tend to be quite skittish at that size. They dart around so fast that I worry they might bump into something and hurt themselves, which can lead to infections and you know the rest. Can't wait to see some pix.
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You really nailed it precisely, Kenny. That's exactly what is happening. I'm going to throw some nitrofuracin green powder in the tank today just to make sure we don't have any surprise red/inflamed mouths.
 
buying a saddle tomorrow!!!

buying a saddle tomorrow!!!

SDguy said:
Pfft, good luck finding the red sea pearlscale. Been years I've been wanting one.

I have a gorgeous saddleback. He is only 3" or so, but has full adult colors...streamer...purple belly stripes, faded eye band... stunning!
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I am so happy to see this thread!! I have been mulling over getting a butterfly to try in my reef for a long time and tomorrow it happens!
I have been asking my lfs to have their collector/distributor keep their eyes out for an unusually healthy or to say well collected saddleback Butterfly and they finally got one that seems up to snuff. It is about 4' and is fat and looks great. I would love to see pics of your Saddleback!

Thanks,
Best wishes fishes....
 
Pamocanthus said:
I am so happy to see this thread!! I have been mulling over getting a butterfly to try in my reef for a long time and tomorrow it happens!
I have been asking my lfs to have their collector/distributor keep their eyes out for an unusually healthy or to say well collected saddleback Butterfly and they finally got one that seems up to snuff. It is about 4' and is fat and looks great. I would love to see pics of your Saddleback!

Thanks,
Best wishes fishes....
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Congrats, but if you read through this whole thread, you'll see that I had to pull mine from the reef due to its appetite for euphyllia and mushrooms. Hopefully that won't be an issue in your tank. GL!
 
Thanks Peter,

Yeah I had to skim over many of the posts, screaming baby!!, I Dont keep euphylia anymore and dont mind if it grazes on mushrooms. I guess the hope and or idea is that there will be enough millepora and suchfor it to graze on. I guess theres only one way to find out!! Thanks you guys for all this great experience and info sharing!!

Best Wishes Fishes....
 
millepora, as in acro? I think you'll be fine...mine only nipped here and there at acros, and eventually stopped.
 
Pamocanthus said:
I am so happy to see this thread!! I have been mulling over getting a butterfly to try in my reef for a long time and tomorrow it happens!
I have been asking my lfs to have their collector/distributor keep their eyes out for an unusually healthy or to say well collected saddleback Butterfly and they finally got one that seems up to snuff. It is about 4' and is fat and looks great. I would love to see pics of your Saddleback!

Thanks,
Best wishes fishes....
Click to expand...

4'? wow! that's one HUGE fish!!!! :eek2: i'm sure you meant 4". ;)
 
SDguy said:
I have one in my FOWLR. Ate every mushroom I had in there :)

IMG_9790-1.jpg
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Anything particular that your Pakistani butterflyfish liked to eat? I have a very small one (not much bigger than a quarter) in my QT. It started out looking for food and eating a little bit but its appetite hasn't increased at all in a week. I have tried flakes, 2 types of small pellets, Rod's, frozen mysis (Hikari and PE), frozen spirulina brine, and blackworms. It only seems to eat the Hikari frozen mysis and brine, and then only one or two. I will try some live brine soon. I feed 2-4 times per day.

Perhaps they don't eat that much when they are so small, but I would like to see it eating more.
 
Mine was a difficult fish. It probably was a full year before it ate heartily and regularly. It still won't eat flake or pellets. I feed it scallop, shrimp, mysis (PE, Hikari), live blackworms. The first thing it ever ate was Hikari mysis.

PS - It is very much NOT reef safe.
 
I finally got my muelleri today. So far he's really shy and I haven't had any luck with feeding. So far Ive tried Mysis, Rods and clams on the half shell with no luck. I have some black worms coming too, so we will see. I tried to get some pics but the camera battery died so Ill have to udate tomorrow. Wish me luck.
 
Were your clams on the half shell frozen or fresh? Try fresh ones from the grocery store... my butterflies go nuts for "venus" clams from Albertsons :)
 
They were frozen. Thanks for the tip, Ill get right on it. Ill let you know how it goes. I get black worms tomorrow too. He takes a couple bites of mysis but not much. Ill get some clams tonight.
 
Also, what kind of scallops have you tried? My butterflies definitely prefer scallops with a more yellow tint, which can vary with the large "diver" scallops, but tends to be common with the small "bay" scallops.
 
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