butterflies in reefs

i have a new project now and butterflies will be a little bit on hold for now ;)

but don't worry, i'm sure they will worm their way back someway or another.

i'm now excited over my harem of 4 semifasciatus swallowtail angels. these fishes have been absent in the trade for yearsssss but now resurfacing worldwide again!
 
I'm just not sure how true that would be with another BF in a 75g tank. Yellow longnoses are pretty whimpy, IME.
That would suggest you get a benefit from putting the yln in first or at the same time, if possible, although they should do ok even if the yln is introduced second. My yln is doing fine with the ulietensis and saddleback being there first, and they are both active and aggressive eaters.

As we know, it ultimately comes down to the nature of the particular fish.
 
That would suggest you get a benefit from putting the yln in first or at the same time, if possible, although they should do ok even if the yln is introduced second.

In my experiences it didn't work that way. Over the years, I've had butterflies literally get to the point of scarring each other with their dueling dorsals, eventually requiring removal. This always happened over time, as the butterflies got established in the tank.

I'm not saying it's not going to work, but just that one should have a backup plan (ie own a fish trap and know how to use it) in case things don't work out. :)
 
This thread is great. I'm setting up a 180g now and didn't consider a butterfly fish at all. I plan on softy/lps mostly and some clams. I'm considering the long nose now. Looks like the consensus is it should be OK with the corals but what about the clams? Don't think I saw reference to that in this thread unless I missed it.
 
well I might just pick one or the other then :)

On a completely unrelated note can I keep a trio of any species of anthias in a 75g?

or multiple dissimilar anthias, for example a Bicolor, Squareback, Lyretail etc?
 

peter this is for you.

7 paucifasciatus for sale in taiwan.

my friend is there for business and he took a photo for me. i've asked him to bring back one for me if he has a chance to. but that's a long shot.

my pair did not make it :( i don't know why, but they just stopped feeding after awhile and one died for no reason. the other soon followed suit.

didn't really make sense. they were so healthy and were with me for quite awhile and then suddenly...
 
Sorry to hear about yours :(

Oh that picture is just so not fair!!! :headwallblue:

I took this video yesterday to celebrate my reef's 5th birthday. Anyway, you can see how the yellow longnoses are doing. You can read about their origins here

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i know...

i was so upset when one was starting to dwindle. and when the other followed suit, i was even more upset.

according to my friend, the 7 that were offered for sale was in a run-downed shop with probably little to no feeding for the fishes. all 7 paucifasciatus were skinny but still salvageable with a little TLC. it's a shame really. more so for these absolutely gorgeous rare fishes that everyone is so crazy for.
 
oh your longnose are so wonderfully obese.

i'm jealous. mine just refuses to eat pellets unlike my previous one. frozen food just doesn't really fatten it up like yours.

i love your male melanospilos. it's the famous one that's all over the genicanthus thread! amazing markings and lovely tail filaments.
 
oh your longnose are so wonderfully obese.

i'm jealous. mine just refuses to eat pellets unlike my previous one. frozen food just doesn't really fatten it up like yours.

i love your male melanospilos. it's the famous one that's all over the genicanthus thread! amazing markings and lovely tail filaments.

Thanks. You know what's interesting... I'm not sure if you saw my one thread asking about F. flavissimus vs longirostris. My smaller YLN has a noticably longer snout, compared to its body length, than the larger one. It is also the one that won't eat pellets or flakes. Could it have a little longirostris mixed in?
 
yes why not.

i've seen hybrids of flavissimus x longirostris, but they are very hard to tell without super careful examination.

the snouts are noticeably slightly longer, and the presence of extremely faint spots on the chest and a 3/4 black eye are some traits the hybrid may possess
 
anyone notice coral species specific issues with butterflies?

my mitratus leaves most corals alone, most of the time. i added some new frags recently and he largely ignored them except the pearlberry which he picked at constantly. not even just polyps but the skin itself! is it a tasty coral?

it stn'd. i dont know if he was picking at it too cause the stn or if thats why he picked at it. any similar anecdotes?
 
I think the common thinking is that they eat corals that are declining, not that the corals decline because they are being eaten. That said, I don't think it's always true. I've notice stylos tend to be a favorite...healthy or otherwise.
 
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