butterflies in reefs

[Zante]

Any more experiences with falculas?

I have ordered one at the LFS, and fortunately the marine guy is of an experimental turn of mind, so he'll be keeping them in the coral tanks under close scrutiny, and I'll have at least a couple of weeks' buffer before I will have to finally decide whether to buy one or not.

I could do with the experience of more people who have kept them to help me decide.
I'm not too worried if they wipe out the feather dusters, I like them, but they are hitchhikers and I want the butterflies more than the feather dusters, but not more than my SPS corals.

Also, would it be too much to go for a pair in my tank?

 

[chema]

Congratulations to all of you. Great thread, great info and great pictures.

I have a problem with aiptasias which is becoming very serious. In the past I kept a cbb that took care of them. Unfortunately it died, with the rest of my tank, during a power shortage.

I'm an angel fish lover, but butterflies are also gorgeous fish. I used to think that the only butterflies that could be considered reasonably reef safe were cbb and Hemitaurichthys. This thread has changed my mind about that and now I'm seriously considering other butterflies, appart from the cbb, to introduce in my sps dominated tank (I also have a few tridacnas).

Which one do you think would be the best option to get rid of aiptasias and not be a sps predator? C. rostratus, C. marginalia, C. kleini or Heniochus? Other options are also appreciated.

 

[Zante]

Ah, yes, good point. I'll also add that I'd like to add a clam, and would be annoyed to have it eaten by the butterfly I'll eventually choose.

Another question:
Would you go butterfly first clam second or viceversa?
Why?

 

[chema]

Hi Zante: did you finally go with the falcula? How was it in your reef tank? Any chance it may also go after the aiptasias?

 

[Zante]

Hi Zante: did you finally go with the falcula? How was it in your reef tank? Any chance it may also go after the aiptasias?

I got two, and the LFS guy was kind enough to "train" them for me.
He got them used to all kinds of food, and then kept them for a couple of weeks in one of their coral tanks. They didn't even look at them.

I put them in my reef and they were just fine. Aiptasia was wiped out, and they went after the smaller fan worms. The larger fan worms were pecked at for a short while, and then they were ignored.

Unfortunately one of them started bullying the other and leeping it relegated in a corner of the tank after over a month together in the LFS and two weeks together in my reef.
I was setting up an isolation tank for the bully, to see if I could patch things up before taking one of the two back to the LFS, when the bullied one either got slammed against the rocks by a powerhead, or was attacked by a hitchhiker crab I caught a week later.
In any case it had a bad gash on the side and it didn't survive the night.

So I am left with one butterfly which is behaving splendidly with aiptasia (wiping it out) and with SPS and sponges (ignoring them).
I also have one soft polyp that hitched a ride on the rock and i was expecting that to be eaten, but that too is being ignored
I added an Euphyllia coral, and it seems to enjoy the mucus it produces. It will occasionally peck at it, but I cannot see any damage on the coral itself. I'll have to see if the coral can live with this kind of pecking...

 

[SDguy]

Keep a close eye on the Euphyllia. My saddleback appeared to only peck at the base slime, but it slowly ate the coral as it failed to extend from that point.

 

[Zante]

Keep a close eye on the Euphyllia. My saddleback appeared to only peck at the base slime, but it slowly ate the coral as it failed to extend from that point.

Yes, that is why I added the Euphyllia on a Saturday morning. I was able to keep an eye on it for two full days, and I still examine it closely before leaving for work and when I come back.

The butterfly is remarkably intelligent. I had to lunge at it a three or four times for it to understand I didn't want it to peck at the coral, so it's real wary when it cruises close to the Euphyllia, but very tame everywhere else in the tank. I could almost pick it up.

I am planning a separate small tank for a clam, still connected to the system through the sump. It is planned for next year, but if the Euphyllia is being harassed I'll set it up earlier and put it in there.

 

[chema]

I got two, and the LFS guy was kind enough to "train" them for me.
He got them used to all kinds of food, and then kept them for a couple of weeks in one of their coral tanks. They didn't even look at them.

I put them in my reef and they were just fine. Aiptasia was wiped out, and they went after the smaller fan worms. The larger fan worms were pecked at for a short while, and then they were ignored.

Unfortunately one of them started bullying the other and leeping it relegated in a corner of the tank after over a month together in the LFS and two weeks together in my reef.
I was setting up an isolation tank for the bully, to see if I could patch things up before taking one of the two back to the LFS, when the bullied one either got slammed against the rocks by a powerhead, or was attacked by a hitchhiker crab I caught a week later.
In any case it had a bad gash on the side and it didn't survive the night.

So I am left with one butterfly which is behaving splendidly with aiptasia (wiping it out) and with SPS and sponges (ignoring them).
I also have one soft polyp that hitched a ride on the rock and i was expecting that to be eaten, but that too is being ignored
I added an Euphyllia coral, and it seems to enjoy the mucus it produces. It will occasionally peck at it, but I cannot see any damage on the coral itself. I'll have to see if the coral can live with this kind of pecking...

I'm sorry about your second falcula, but glad that you still have one of them and it's behaving correctly with your sps. I have been offered a falcula and I'm seriously considering to introduce it in my tank. Even more after hearing from you that took good care of your aiptasia.

I guess I'll have to take the chances with the two Euphyllias and two tridacnas I have.

 

[Zante]

I'd NEVER trust a falcula with a clam.
In fact I'm setting up a separate tank to have a clam.

 

[chema]

I'd NEVER trust a falcula with a clam.
In fact I'm setting up a separate tank to have a clam.

Thank's a lot for the advise. Then I'll have to say no to the falcula. I have two clams that I love; one of them pretty big ( a Tahiti 15 cm long maxima).

May be I'll have to try other options, like a C. marginalis or a C. muelleri. Also Prognathodes aculeatus seem to be relatively reef safe, and I have a local seller that carries it, but I have no idea whether it may eat aiptasia.

 

[Zante]

Have you tried a filefish (Acreichthys tomentosus)? Mine didn't touch it, but many people have reported success.

Also there are the berghia nudibranchs that ONLY eat aiptasia. If you don't have enough they will die of hunger.

 

[chema]

Yes, I have considered both. Acreichthys tomentosus is really ugly, but the main problem is either doesn't touch aiptasias, or after finishing with the aiptasias may develop some taste for corals. I have friends that have reported both kind of problems. On the other hand, Berghia is almost impossible to find here in Spain. There was a shop selling them from time to time, but they quit doing it a few years ago.

Besides...I really would like to introduce a butterfly in my reef.

 

[Hookup]

declivis butterfly

declivis butterfly

I have a pretty established SPS and LSP tank with a few mushrooms (yumas and ric's) a few photosyntehic gorgs... mostly SPS though... (that I care about)

I have the opportunity to add a mated pair of Declivis Butterfly's to the tank.

I've got a copperbaded and a flameangel, a few tangs etc...

Its a big(ish) system at 180 gallon display and 200gal sump (in basement)... water quality is high, and I feed pellets with an auto-feeder and frozen food manually... The pair of Declivis are already observed (by me) eating the same pellet food that I'm feeding in my feeder (faunamarin btw)



So... would you add them?


Risk. My tank aquascape CANNOT be disassembled. Its made from concrete... Fish trap is the ONLY way to get fish out, and only on the fish's agenda... I've got 4 anthais that I want to kill, er remove, but they will not swim into the trap...

 

[aquaph8]

If it were me, I'd give it a shot but be prepared to have to use that trap. My attempt didn't go so well with a Mitratus. He was eating pellets and everything but chewed up a couple of my SPS colonies pretty good regardless of how much I fed. I'd still like to try again one day and it was probably the easiest fish to catch with a trap I've ever had.

 

[YKTea]

Personally I would go for it. But if you love your corals too much to take any form of risk then i'd say no, and go for something safer. Declivis and the other roaps are nippy and curious. Often times they don't do too much damage, but if the thought of that is enough to make your skin crawl then I'd say no and move on to something safer.

I've had a declivis and a mitratus before simultaneously and they wee
Model citizens though. If that changes your mind

 

[axia55]

Just finished reading through the whole thread. Butterfly's have always been my favorite fish but I have never had quite the right setup to keep them.

Thinking about a future Macro dominated FOWLR (along with some cheap corals that I wouldn't mind if they got eaten) for mostly Bfly's. Two questions:
-Has anyone kept gorgonians with BF's?
-How many would I be able to keep in a standard 120g (48x24x24)? At the top of my wishlist is a Collare, Racoon, Kliens, Mulleri.Too many? Incompatible?

 

[jjk_reef00]

Those 4 are all good selections, unfortunately BFs (raccoon especially) tend to eat just about any macro you could put into a tank but it depends on the species and what you are trying to keep.

 

[ca1ore]

Hello can pyramid butterflies be kept in a reef tank? Do they bother SPS?

Recently added a quartet of pyramids to my reef tank. I'd say they are generally reef-safe. Although mine have eaten most of the xenia in my tank (many would think this to be a good thing), they have not touched anything else. Stunning fish!

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

Just finished reading through the whole thread. Butterfly's have always been my favorite fish but I have never had quite the right setup to keep them.

Thinking about a future Macro dominated FOWLR (along with some cheap corals that I wouldn't mind if they got eaten) for mostly Bfly's. Two questions:
-Has anyone kept gorgonians with BF's?
-How many would I be able to keep in a standard 120g (48x24x24)? At the top of my wishlist is a Collare, Racoon, Kliens, Mulleri.Too many? Incompatible?

I think those 4 will work in a 120. I have tried keeping macro algae and various corals in my tank with no success. I don't know if the butterflies went after the macros (never saw it and I had a tang also). My ulitensis eats everything. Just add algae and corals you are willing to lose [a little at a time) and keep the fish well fed.

 

[Western_reefer]

Hey Lemon! How are your Red Sea Eritrean Butterflyfish (Chaetodon paucifasciatus) doing so far? As far as them destroying corals, how are they? Do they just nip here and there? Or are they pretty destructive? Also, do you have any clams with your butterfly fish?