Instead of "reef-safe butterflies", how about "butterfly-safe" reefs?

[ntropics]

Instead of "reef-safe butterflies", how about "butterfly-safe" reefs?

Like the title says. Often people will ask if a butterfly is reef safe. My experience is that no butterfly that I have tried has ever been reef safe. (Auriga, flacula, semilarvatus, miliaris) But I do have corals that have been butterfly safe, i.e. Platygyra, (over a year) montipora (so far, after one week), and some mystery "green finger coral" from Live Aquaria that is neither green nor a finger (over one year). Whereas polyps of any sort last about five minutes, and plate corals last about two days, these others seem to be untouched by the butterflies as well as the dwarf angels (bicolor, ferugata and coral beauty), and majestic angel.

So my question is who would like to post their experiences not with which butterfly fish (and angels too for that matter) have been reef safe, but which coral and other invertebrates (feather duster worms, sponges) have been butterfly safe? I am specifically referring to butterflies in the Chaetodon genus, which tend to be the worst at eating corals and inverts.

Bruce

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

This is a good idea, although it may be complicated by the fact that some butterflies eat only lps, others sps, and others only soft corals. However, it would be good to have a list of corals that have been left alone by many butterflies to try for tanks that are primarily fish with some corals rather than reef tanks with fish.

I have found that my butterflies tend to ignore corals that have a harder surface and nothing soft and waving in the current.

 

[ntropics]

I found that when I had a favia (died when I had an algae bloom) that opened at night and closed in the day that it was relatively unharmed by the fish. Maybe they had no interest in something that was active when they were less so. Although I must admit that occasionally I am up at 3:00 AM and when I look at the tank the butterflies are still swimming around.

Any other experiences?

Bruce

 

[Das awesome]

My pearlscale has been in my reef for 3 months now and it hasn't touched any of my leathers, my monti cap, none of my mushrooms (discosoma, ricordea, Yuma and rhodactis) or my sympodiums. Actually, it did recently just start picking at just one of my ricirdeas so I moved it in a different tank. The only victims I've had are all lps corals and that one ricordea. I still don't know why it favored that one out of all the others