Pairing C. falcula Butterflyfish

[jer77]

I used to own a falcula and a yellow semi butterfly in my previously uncracked 180g. They seemed to get along with each other wonderfully. They would swim together all day and night.

I have another falcula now and want to add another butterfly but the semi's are just too much $$ for something I won't know will eat and starve to death. My tank has little sps and no juicy LPS that they usually devour, just soft corals, clams and some montipora and a huge anemone. I also let halimeda grow healthy which I like.

So what butterfly could I add that would get along with the falcula? I was looking into a melannotus, but they are known softie eaters and only get along in pairs I've read. But the falcula looks very similar to a melannotus. Does anyone have any experience with them or falcula with other butterflys?

 

[SDguy]

but the semi's are just too much $$ for something I won't know will eat and starve to death.

From everything I've read, and from my own experience, I think they are one of the hardiest butterflies around... I wouldn't worry about it being difficult to feed.

 

[jjk_reef00]

I'm not sure about the reef safe BF's but my facula use to be very easy going.
He only lived 3 months and didn't eat very well.
Do your falcula's eat aggressively? And how big did you get them?

In terms of personality my favorites are pakistani, dot-dashed, and raccoon.
Check out this thread if you haven't already:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1983397&page=24

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

So what butterfly could I add that would get along with the falcula? I was looking into a melannotus, but they are known softie eaters and only get along in pairs I've read. But the falcula looks very similar to a melannotus. Does anyone have any experience with them or falcula with other butterflys?

My falcula is in the tank with a double saddleback (that picks on the falcula only during feeding time and the falcula just ignores it and doesn't fight back), a saddleback, and a yellow longnose. It is the largest fish in the tank and gets along fine with all three other butterflies. It has developed into a very strong eater. It could just be the individual fish, but my falcula has shown no aggressiveness towards any other fish in my tank.

 

[SDguy]

It has developed into a very strong eater.

What do you feed?

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

NLS pellets and flakes, Rods, SF Angel and Butterfly mix, PE mysis, blackworms, and a homemade mix of fish (currently salmon, but I have used flounder and black sea bass), shrimp and scallop. The homemade mix is chopped and frozen. I sometimes chop up a fresh clam and toss it in.

Initially, the falcula ate pellets and then quit on them but started eating the flakes, plus some mysis. It never ate blackworms. It wasn't a strong eater and would only cruise around the tank snacking. It became a better eater in the DT, but the past couple of weeks (its 3rd-4th month) it has started eating very aggressively, it pretty much eats everything I put in the tank, and it has started eating blackworms in the past week. All of this while dodging shots from the ulietensis.

 

[SDguy]

Thanks for the info. I ask because I recently got one...larger than expected. Doesn't really like anything I've offered.

 

[jjk_reef00]

Thanks for the info. I ask because I recently got one...larger than expected. Doesn't really like anything I've offered.

I received one that was 5-6" and never really ate well. It seemed to like scallops the best out of everything I tried.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

Thanks for the info. I ask because I recently got one...larger than expected. Doesn't really like anything I've offered.

Mine is a good 5" and was larger than I expected/wanted. While disappointed initially, it turns out that the extra size has been a benefit for it to deal with the ulietensis.

Mine ate so little for 2 months that I wasn't convinced it would make it, but it is thriving now and eating really well. I was careful to put food in the tank near its mouth so it got first shot at food given that the ulietensis constantly took shots at the falcula (nipping and flared dorsal fin, sometimes knocking a scale off), particularly when it was eating less aggressively.

 

[ntropics]

I've got a miliaris, semilarvatus, auriga and falcula. The auriga is the most agressive, and the semilarvatus seems to be the less aggressive. Miliaris got there first so maybe that's why he is more aggressive than the semilarvatus. Over all they get along pretty well. I have had no problem with any of them eating. In fact, they are all pigs! I get all of my butterflies at DD. If they don't have it, I won't get it. I have a 180 gallon 8 feet by two feet tall by 18" wide. It is narrow but my fish love the long swim along the eight foot dimension. I believe that the large size of the tank is part of the reason I have minimal aggression.


Bruce

 

[snorvich]

From everything I've read, and from my own experience, I think they are one of the hardiest butterflies around... I wouldn't worry about it being difficult to feed.

Yes it eats well and they are gorgeous. However clams are definitely on the menu.

 

[SDguy]

Yes it eats well and they are gorgeous. However clams are definitely on the menu.

I guess I misunderstood the OP. Are the tank inhabitants different now than in the previous tank with the semilarvatus?

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

I think the OP has a falcula now as the only butterfly and wanted to know what else people thought he/she could add to the tank. Sounds like he/she had a 180 previously that cracked and lost everything.

Given the corals, a yellow longnose or copperband might be good choices and both should get along with the falcula.

Check out the butterflies in reefs thread to see the experiences of keeping butterflies with corals.

 

[jer77]

Sorry for the confusion. I currently have an C. falcula, Blue Tang and a kole tang. I am looking to add another butterfly. It has been my experience that it is usually up to the individual fish itself whether it picks on corals or inverts. I tried to add another semi butterfly but it just ate my corals and soon died from starvation. I was interested in the melannotus as a replacement and/or any others that would most likely survive and not eat my stuff. I have never had problems with butterflies eating softies and clams, just LPS, so maybe I'm not so experienced with butterflies as you guys are.

 

[jer77]

My falcula eats mostly everything I feed but loves PE mysis as of now. I have no problems keeping it fat and healthy.