Foureye butterfly fish

Bobbitworm13

Bobbitworm13

New member
I've got a few questions about the foureye butterfly fish.
1. Are they softie and gorgonian safe?
2. Since they grow to about 5 inches (never seen a six inches and only a couple at 5 in probably 100-150 hours on Florida reefs) would a foureye be okay in a 40B?
3. How hard are they to care for(weaning to frozen)
Thank you in advance
 
Ok thanks, I've read those articles and I'm not afraid of the difficulty, just didn't want to put one in too small of a tank. Why do you think they need a larger tank as they average around 4 inches (the same size and activity level as a dwarf angel).
 
Bobbitworm13 said:
Ok thanks, I've read those articles and I'm not afraid of the difficulty, just didn't want to put one in too small of a tank. Why do you think they need a larger tank as they average around 4 inches (the same size and activity level as a dwarf angel).
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I have seen them get upwards of 6 inches. I wouldn't put one in anything less than 48" long, preferably longer. They get easily stressed in smaller tanks.
 
Oh ok, thanks for dissuading me from getting one and putting it in too small of an aquarium. What about the Atlantic longnose?
 
The longnose is a bit smaller and much easier to care for than the four eye, however an adult Prognathodes aculeatus is not suitable for a 40 gallon. I would not recommend any type of butterfly fish to a 40 breeder.
 
Butterflies are definitely not suitable for a tank that size. Even the small ones still inhabit large reefs and like the space to roam around. Confining any open water swimmers to a 40 gallon would just be cruel.

I'd advise you to look more into fish that like to stick to small areas of a reef. Royal grammas don't venture around much and are found in Caribbean waters. There are a few gobies too and even some damsels (although I wouldn't recommend the damsels since they can be jerks) that will venture out but won't feel confined in a tank that size.
 
mike61289 said:
Butterflies are definitely not suitable for a tank that size. Even the small ones still inhabit large reefs and like the space to roam around. Confining any open water swimmers to a 40 gallon would just be cruel.

I'd advise you to look more into fish that like to stick to small areas of a reef. Royal grammas don't venture around much and are found in Caribbean waters. There are a few gobies too and even some damsels (although I wouldn't recommend the damsels since they can be jerks) that will venture out but won't feel confined in a tank that size.
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There are some damsels that would be ok in a tank that size. Allens, Azures, Talbots for example. Also Starcki's when you can find them. They will need caves and crevices to call home of course and your mileage may vary. I have had great luck with Azures and Talbots - that family seems to be a bit more calm or so it seems.
 
I like damsels and have had them in the past but I'm doing a Caribbean biotope with this tank. Do you have any suggestions for fish?
 
Bobbitworm13 said:
I like damsels and have had them in the past but I'm doing a Caribbean biotope with this tank. Do you have any suggestions for fish?
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Fair enough. Its has been a couple years since I have been diving there but I seem to recall plenty of damsels native to the area.
 
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Blue reef chromis are an open water swimming Caribbean fish, I just don't know how many would work in a 40 breeder as they get to be a pretty descent size for a chromis. This post is also being made under the assumption that you're not adverse to all damsel type fish.
 
eastlake said:
Blue reef chromis are an open water swimming Caribbean fish, I just don't know how many would work in a 40 breeder as they get to be a pretty descent size for a chromis. This post is also being made under the assumption that you're not adverse to all damsel type fish.
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They would get too big for a tank that size. Besides that, I find that they are either not collected well or don't adjust to captivity. They bring in diseases and just wither away.
 
Mike, do you have any suggestions for a couple of Caribbean fish? I don't want a royal gramma, maybe a black cap or other basslet
 
Sailfin Blenny is a Caribbean fish that we've seen on many dives. Cherub angel is another but they pack an attitude. Black cap basslets are great fish. We see them deeper than grammas and they seem to be more shy.
 
Bobbitworm13 said:
Mike, do you have any suggestions for a couple of Caribbean fish? I don't want a royal gramma, maybe a black cap or other basslet
Click to expand...

Blackcaps are beautiful but can be more territorial than royal grammas. It's not a bad fish overall though.

Another suggestion and personal favorite of mine are the yellowhead jawfish. They're really cute, easy to care for if kept with peaceful tank mates, and are really entertaining. Like the wrasses, they need a cover of some sort over the tank because they do jump when startled. They also need a 2.5-3 inch sand bed.

Besides those, there aren't many fish I can think of for a 40 gallon. It's not much room to work with and many of the Caribbean fish that are imported are large (queen angels, rock beauty angels, porcupine puffers, etc...).

Just out of curiosity, why are you sticking to a Caribbean biotope?
 
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