leebca

[r0bin]

Hi Lee,

You helped me a lot a couple months ago with my lemon peel angel. I have a question for you. Sunday I got a lemon.millet seed butterfly fish that I couldn't resist. Its slim pickens around here and it was beautiful. I am worried about putting it into my main tank because my fish are considered semi-agressive and this one peacful. I have a yellow tang, coral beauty, clarkii clown, purple pseduo and bi-color blennie. What steps should I take when introducing this fish. Also how delicate is this fish, can it withstanding some arguments till things come down?

[leebca]

Hi R0bin!

Unfortunately, the common names of fish can be misleading as that name is used for a couple different fishes. If the fish you're referring to is Chaetodon miliaris (do a Google search for a picture of it), then that fish, unless you have a particularly shy one, will pretty much hold its own. It is one of the more assertive Butterflyfishes. But, like all fish, the one you have could be more shy or more bold than the 'average' one collected.

About the best you can do for this fish is to put it into quarantine for 6 weeks. Let it get accustomed to you, build up an energy reserve, and acclimate more to the captive life, before being put in with those fish you mentioned. It needs above average water quality and a steady pH in the correct range.

Like mentioned above, a stay in a quarantine tank all alone will get it used to you, the foods it should be eating, and not be stressed by that group of fishes while further acclimating to captive life. By the time it is ready to join the gang, it will know the routine and probably not be put off by them. BUT, if you introduce this fish into the display before it has acclimated to captive life, it may 'disappear' into the rock work and slowly starve.

That particular grouping of fish should not perceive this Butterflyfish to be a competitor or threat. So long as you're providing proper nutrition (and if I recall, you're one who does) and frequently feeding, they should not take too much of an interest in the Butterflyfish. There are always exceptions though and for that, a quarantine time is further recommended to allow the fish to build up some energy reserve to deal with any possible stressors in the main tank.

You didn't mention the size of the Butterflyfish, nor did you mention the sizes of the other fishes. So, the above observations could be influenced by size issues.

They are beautiful. Few appreciate their delicate markings. Good luck!

[r0bin]

Very much appreciated and you do have the correct species. The fish store had the butterfly for about a month, one of the reasons I got it. It feeds very well and is already eating out of my hand after just 2 days. I will do as you instructed concerning the quarantine and building the fish immune system up. Thank you. ps Do you recommend moving my rock around before introducing this fish?

[leebca]

Do you recommend moving my rock around before introducing this fish?

You can probably be the best judge on this one. In general, no, I don't think so. I don't see any significant competitor or adverse hostility towards an assertive Butterflyfish in that group. If there is a big difference in size (like the Butterflyfish is under 2" and the Yellow Tang is >4" there may be problems with the tang. If the Anemonefish and/or the Coral Beauty is very territorial with the fish that are currently in the tank and has staked out a territory that it doesn't allow to be 'shared' then the rearrangement of landscaping before putting in the Butterflyfish would be a good idea.

Keep in mind that if things don't work well with the acclimation to the display tank, then a fall-back position can be to then rearrange the landscaping. In this way you can avoid any 'hard feelings' for disturbing things without a good reason. Sometimes, on occasion, the settled in Anemonefish will not forgive its owner for messing with its space.

I've very happy you will do the quarantine!

[r0bin]

Hi Lee, an update on the butterfly,

I think he has developed a very small dot of lymphocistos on his back fin. I feed him a variety of foods about 3 times a day and am using vita-chem, zoe, and garlic extreme (before him developed this.) My question is I know this can be brought on by stress, and he is only in a twenty gal tank for QT. I feel this is much to small for him and think this could be some of his stress. What do I do in this case, he has only been in QT for 2 weeks this SUnday.

Also I read quick cure will cure this disease, if indeed it does, which remains to be seen, is it safe to use on a butterfly? I believe it has malachite green in it and formaldahide if I remember correctly from my freshwater days. I used it with great success to cure freshwater ick. Thanks Lee.

Also I had another question, do you think my 75 gal tank will be overstocked and stress the fish when I add this one? I have a yellow tang, coral beauty, bi color blennie, purple pseudo, and clarkii clown. Someone told me my tank was already overstocked and not to add this fish. Thanks.

[leebca]

I wouldn't worry much about space stress during the quarantine process, so long as: the fish is alone; and the fish size is not unreasonable for the tank. I don't recall you mentioning the size of this fish.

I wouldn't expect to see Lymphocystis in a quarantine fish unless the space stress was extreme or there were additional stresses. The primary common stresses are water quality and space during quarantine. I'm still assuming you are feeding the proper foods. (Variety and frequency are important, but the variety must be of the proper foods. Have you researched what this species likes to eat?)

This viral infection has no cure to the best of my knowledge. I would just emphasize optimal nutrition and the following bits of suggestions.

I would start daily water changes of your QT. I would perform about 50% daily until the signs of the condition goes away.

In a small tank, over the counter garlic solutions could become a pollutant. I would forgo its use in the QT since you say the fish is eating, anyway.

Without knowing the size of the fishes involved, and just knowing their usual adult sizes your aquarium is most likely stocked, without the addition of this fish.

Many Butterflyfishes don't add to the bio-load like medium to large sized wrasses or Angelfishes. On the other hand, the Tang will usually add more to the bio-load than many other fishes of the same mass.

I wrote most likely above because I don't know much else about your system. If it is a FOWLR system with snails, crabs, worms, pods, etc., skimmer, and good circulation, then your fish livestock is near capacity, spacewise. I would still add the Butterflyfish though in such a system if it is under 2.5 inches. Be prepared for trouble --- if there are space issues, the Tang and CB will most likely make it well known to the Butterflyfish.

[r0bin]

Sorry, here is some more infor about my tank. I would say the Butterfly is right at 2.5 inches. I have a 75 FOWLR, with prism skimmer. I probably only have about 50 pds of live rock at best. But I do that for the swimming room for say, the Tang. I only have about 10 hermits if that many for cleanup and nothing else. I have a magnum 350 filter and a seio 620 plus three other 270 ghp powerheads. I do plan to add a few pieces of base rock when I add the butterfly to try to confuse their territories and possible create some new territory. I would say the tang which is probably the most important factor in all this is about 3.5 inches.

[leebca]

I would think it would be okay to add the Butterflyfish IF:
1) Get rid of all hermit crabs; replace with snails
2) Add no less than 50lbs LR and/or refugium with LR
3) Inside circulation looks good; I'm unsure what the 620 is adding to the circulation, since I don't know the head pressure on it. If head pressure is more than 3 feet, I think more circulation (or larger pump) at time of doing 2 would be in order.

1) is done slowly over time;
2) will take a few weeks or months for the tank to settle down; it may require the Butterflyfish not be added until then; it may require that fish currently in your display find a new home for a month while the display tank adjusts (depending upon how cured and ready the 'live rock' is to use); and
3) should accompany 2).

I guess the system you have is not ready for that Butterflyfish. Your call.

[r0bin]

Thanks for the advice, I have a couple of questions;

What do the snails do that the hermit crabs don't? Everytime I have had snails in the past they all die.

Are you saying that my tank doesnt have enough filtration? If not does it have enough filtration for the current load? Also if I don't have enough live rock/filtration what do people who have FO tanks do that dont have any live rock? I would have thought the magnum would have made up for the lack of live rock.

What if I added 50 pds of base rock? Live rock is outragious around here.

Also, since my tank has 20 times the water movement as to tank size, I would have thought that would be enough flow.

From your post above now I am worried about my current tank, is it about to crash?

Thanks as usual I appreciate any help I can get with my tank.

[r0bin]

One other question are butterflys more sensitive to nitrates that other fish? I usually have anywhere from 20-40 ppm.

[leebca]

I can't even begin to explain the problems with hermit crabs. Trying to be brief: they are omnivores. They will eat anything they can get their claws on. They are, in short, 'reef terrorists.' If they get hungry enough, they will attack fishes. Snails will eat less and still do a great job at cleaning things up. Thus, crabs more significantly impact the bio-load (in a negative way).

Snails dieing usually mean you are getting snails that are not tropical. Many snails come through the system that are really coming out of cooler waters. In the home aquarium at 80F, they slowly cook to death. Get snails you are confident come from hot/tropical waters. If you want, I can provide some references on snails for your consideration.

The Magnum is doing much of your biological filtration. That is what is building up the nitrates. More LR the less nitrates. Base rock will provide nitrification, but not denitrification. See: What is Live Rock, Anyway?

If you check out the above reference, I think you can see what LR brings to the system, that base rock doesn't.

I'm concerned about the quantity of bio filtration AND space. The combo. IMHO LR is optimal. The old FO aquariums couldn't support the fish you have there now. The diversity of LR brings a small advantage to increasing the ability of the aquarium to handle the bio-load. Also, LR brings with it the ability to process some organics that non LR can process. (Keep in mind that by bio-load I'm not just referring to ammonia and nitrites, but the hundreds of other proteins, fats, etc. that are added to or made in, the aquarium).

I was figuring each powerhead giving about a 3X turnover (3 X 3 = 9). The Seio is probably not working at 620gph. Pumps are rated differently. What is the head pressure, and what flow is the pump really putting out against that head pressure. If you're over 12 then I'm happy. Get rid of the mushrooms and crabs, and I'm happy with 8-10.

You have no crash worries, in my opinion. You just shouldn't miss any maintenance requirements because the tank hasn't got a lot of 'safety net' built into it.

Fishes, including Butterflyfishes should not have any trouble at all with nitrates below 50. It may be debatable, but I think nitrates below 100 would be okay for almost all fish livestock. In general though, LR and its diverse lifeforms would prefer nitrates below 25.