Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish?

[brettandlyndi]

Anyone kept one in a reef tank? If so, did it bother any corals?

 

[bjolly]

Ive had one for about a year & it's been well behaved. I think some people have had problems though. awesome fish.

 

[brettandlyndi]

Yeah, I really think they are beautiful, and have wanted one for quite awhile now, but was unsure about adding it to a reef. What kind of corals do you keep?

 

[thehedge]

I had one for over a year, until a hitchhiker gorilla crab ate it. Needless to say, the crab was fed to my Red Eared Slider Turtle.

EDIT: It did not bother any corals.

 

[brettandlyndi]

The circle of life!

 

[steveo32]

did you ever think a putting in a copperband butterfly. I had one that was great in the reef and they look cool too. I'm just not sure if you had your heart set on the yellow longnose

 

[brettandlyndi]

steveo32, I'm a big fan of the copperbands too, those are some beautiful fish! Not sure what I'm going to go with, but that is also on the top 5 list.

 

[steveo32]

i just looked it up in my book the biglongnose says it would be ok in the reef

 

[bjolly]

I have zoos, mushroom, montis, sun polyps, frogspawn, a plate coral, a colt coral, xenia & a gorgonian.

I think the yellow longnose is slightly hardier than the copperband, from what I've heard.

 

[thehedge]

Not just slightly...the Longnose is quite considerably hardier than the Copperband

 

[JIM260]

I have tried 2 Copperbands before with no luck. One in a previous 200 gal and one in my current 300. Quarantined, healthy stock, the whole bit. I like the long nose also and am intrigued by the heartiness.

What about them with clams, shrimp, inverts? I know what the books say. Personal experience?

 

[vanmle]

I have clams, shrimps and other inverts as well as zoos, a couple of brains and sps. No issues. It is a beautiful fish, but say good-bye to your fan worms.

 

[smiller]

I agree......they are very hearty fish. I tried one a few years ago. I removed it after a month when it discovered a taste for clams. Never saw a problem with corals. They are like angels, you never know about each individual fish until it is in the tank. I would pass unless you know you can remove it if need be.

 

[Project Reef]

Steve, did you have the yellow longnose (Forcipiger flavissimusor) or the yellow 'big' long nose (Forcipiger longirostris)?

 

[smiller]

It was sold to me as the little guy. I can't swear that it was in fact not the longirostris.

This was the only SW fish I have ever bought that ate in the bag! I fed the other fish while I was floating him and he was attacking food through the bag......so I dropped a few pieces in and he gobbled them up.

 

[redboxer13]

I had one in my 72 gallon reef tank and it never bothered any of my corals. It did picked at a few feather dusters. Unfortunately it died after about 6 months, could figure out why. Water checked out good and all my other fish and shrimp were just fine. Oh well. Anyways its a beautiful fish. A picky eatter at first, mine loved blood worms.

 

[drbronx]

I have a yellow nose in a 75 mixed reef packed with sps, lps, softies, xenias and clams. I never saw him nip a thing although he is constantly searching in crevices for copapods, etc. Very hardy fish, much more so than copperbands.