Opinions about these fish

[CaptainK]

Hi All,
It is time for a new fish or two in my 75G tank. I have the Marine Fishes Book by S. Michael but wanted some opinions from others who may have these fish.
I was wondering if I could could some opinions on the following beside what I have heard that I have mentioned:

Purple FireFish (Dartfish) - I know these may be "jumpers" Not sure if there is anything else bad about them
FireGoby (Dartfish) - Also may be a "jumper"
Lawnmower Blenny - Needs to be well fed
SixLine Wrasse - May eat shrimp, will it eat good worms?
CopperBand ButterFly Fish - I know this would be a VERY challenging fish. Would anyone recommend another butterfly fish that would do well in a reef tank. What about the Yellowtail Butterflyfish (Chaetodon Xanthurus)?

I do not have any at the moment but I do plan on having some cleaner shrimp and some soft corals. I do have a few LPS corals and a large variety of well growing mushrooms and star polyps. Which could probably use a natural predator to keep under control if possible.

Thanks,
CaptK

[Ninong]

Hi All,
It is time for a new fish or two in my 75G tank.

What other fish do you already have in your tank? That information could have a big impact on the suitability of any new selections.

Purple FireFish (Dartfish) - I know these may be "jumpers" Not sure if there is anything else bad about them
FireGoby (Dartfish) - Also may be a "jumper"

Yes, these are jumpers. Docile fish -- won't cause any problems for other fish but do not do well in tanks with more aggressive fish that may harass them.

Lawnmower Blenny - Needs to be well fed

Good choice for most tanks provided you can keep it fed.

SixLine Wrasse - May eat shrimp, will it eat good worms?

Good choice for most tanks but can be aggressive, especially with similar fish or fish that feed in a similar manner. It will feed on benthic microcrustaceans and polychaetes, just as a lot of other fish do. This is usually tolerable in most systems. It's all a matter of balance. You could easily keep a single six-line wrasse in a 75-gal tank with a DSB without much impact but don't try keeping a six-line, plus a dottyback, plus a copperbanded butterflyfish, plus a mandarin, etc. They all feed on the same stuff.

CopperBand ButterFly Fish - I know this would be a VERY challenging fish. Would anyone recommend another butterfly fish that would do well in a reef tank. What about the Yellowtail Butterflyfish (Chaetodon Xanthurus)?

The copperbanded butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus) is one of my favorites but I don't have one in my 120-gal tank for a couple of reasons. I'm afraid that 120 gallons may be a little on the small side for this fish and I already have another fish that will get too big for my tank -- my foxface rabbitfish Siganus vulpinus.

I was tempted once by a really gorgeous 3" copperbanded butterflyfish at one of the LFS but on two separate visits they were unable to get it to eat anything. These fish are very difficult to acclimate to captive feeding because it is very unnatural for them to take food from the water column. They are accustomed to hunting for their food among the benthic epifauna. They would be good candidates for larger, established reef tanks with lots of live rock and large populations of microcrustaceans and polychaetes.

I think a DSB in a larger tank could tolerate the predation of one copperbanded butterflyfish without problems but I'm just not sure where to draw the line. I don't believe a 75-gal tank would make the cut. In fact, I'm afraid a 120-gal tank probably doesn't make the cut either. You probably need at least a 180-gal tank to provide for one of these beautiful fish adequately. Obviously all of these comments apply to people who are keeping what has become known as live deep sand beds. If your system does not contain a live deep sand bed, then you are not concerned with sand bed predation and need only concern yourself with getting the fish to eat appropriate food items and making sure it has enough living space.

I do not have any at the moment but I do plan on having some cleaner shrimp and some soft corals. I do have a few LPS corals and a large variety of well growing mushrooms and star polyps. Which could probably use a natural predator to keep under control if possible.

The six-line wrasse is a reasonable risk with cleaner shrimp in your tank as long as you don't try to add some really small shrimp after the wrasse is already established in the tank. My orchid dottyback has never bothered my cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) even though they were added after him. Most dottybacks are risky with shrimp.

The copperbanded butterflyfish does pose a potential risk to invertebrates but it is much less risky than most butterflyfish. My personal view is that I would probably be willing to try a C. rostratus if I could find a healthy one that is eating before I buy it and if I had a suitable tank. If you search the boards (U.S. and foreign) for reports on this particular fish like I have, you will find that many people keep them in reef tanks with little or no problems, but you will also come across occasional reports of serious problems.

In your particular situation, I think a copperbanded butterflyfish is probably not a good choice mainly because of the size of your tank.

P.S. -- I just checked your profile and it says you presently have a percula clown and a coral beauty. If that's correct, then they are not a problem for any new fish unless you try to add another dwarf angel or another clownfish of a different species.

[philip711]

I agree with Ninong, great post good info.