Fish Stocking question

[fon_ray]

Hey guys. I have been reading Reef Central for about 2 1/2 years now but this is my first post. I am looking for some advice from anybody out there who has had experience with butterflys and corals. I have very lightly stocked 125 gallon reef tank that has been up for 9 months. I am really fond of butterfly fish and want an Auriga butterfly. But my wife is in love with corals. Right now we have some green star polyps, a frogspawn, and a couple of frags with green and purple mushrroms. As for fish we have 2 ocellaris clowns, 2 purple firefish 1 longnose butterfly and a diamond watchman goby.

I know butterflys are not ever completely reef safe, and an individual fish can have completly different behavior from any other. But I have had a longnose butterfly in there since november without any issues. Does anybody have any experience with Auriga butterflys and corals in the same tank. I have done research and found places that say that Aurigas are not reef safe at all and found other information that says they can be housed around everything as long as they are well fed. I'd love to hear from anyone who has done this successfully or not.

 

[sandwi54]

Like you already know, each individual differs in terms of propensity to consuming corals. The same applies to angelfish as well. You're likely to hear different opinions from different people regarding their particular butterflies and corals. At the end of the day, the only way to know is to try yourself. My naso tang who is supposed to be reef safe ripped apart my xenia within two hours of introduction.

I do know one particular species of butterfly that's reef safe: yellow pyramid butterfly. I own a pair myself. They are very laid-back and non-aggressive, and acclimate easily to captive life, mainly because they are planktivores. zoster butterfly which is a close relative is also reef safe, but i prefer the yellow pyramid one.