Foxface and a Copperbanded?

[slojmn]

Hi all, I am curious if a foxface will get along well with an established copperband butterfly fish in a 120g reef? I have been looking at a few foxface fish over the past 6 months with some interest but the couple of specimins I see locally are skinny and not so great looking. I would like to try one in my tank for some algae trimming and I like the yellow and black combo of colors. If I find a healthy specimin in my travels I would like to be prepared to buy or not depending on what the consensus is on their compatibility with a copperband. I really don't want a tang as the Powder Blue is the only one I really like at this point and I am not willing to try one out at this stage in my tank which is totally rockin and healthy. Any info is greatly appreciated

[scubadude]

I have one of each in one of the tanks out in the GH. they are getting along great w/each other, there is even a lawnmower blenny out there too....no probs everyone seems happy.

[Bughead]

I haven't had the two together, but my foxface is the most passive fish in the world. He gets along fine with the butterflies, altho I've never had a copperband, but I doubt there'd be a problem. If the foxface is a little smaller than your copperband when you get him (he won't stay small long!), the butterfly will feel less threatened and it should be a peaceful introduction. Otherwise, they'll probably get used to each other in 2 or 3 days and all should be fine.

[slojmn]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like they should do well together. Now to find a nice, fat, smallish, healthy one

[Barry N.]

Does your CB bother you clam or are you still clamless?

Barry

[slojmn]

Hi Barry,
I am still clamless but hope to try a few out when you get those 150 to pick from in the next month or so .

[Barry N.]

New tank is cycling as I talk. Between the 2 tanks we should be in great shape.

Barry

[Palmetto]

slojmn, good to see you here and glad the CB is still doing well!

Let me know how the foxface gets along if you do put them together.

[zhenya]

I actualy just added a CB and the only fish giving him/her a hard time is my oldest resident of the tank,the yellow tang.At times I realy hate this fish,allways trying to kill any new fish I added to this tank .My foxface is the most pieaceful fish I have,all he does is graze all day. All my attemps to catch this tang faled and I'm about ready to take my reef appart and catch him.Good luck with your foxface rabbitfish Slojmn.

[slojmn]

I just found a nice small foxface rabbitfish yesterday, he/she is about 3" . It looks to be developing the single black spot on its back end. I acclimated and dropped him in yesterday afternoon. None of my fish have really even taken an interest in him. A few looks and some close proximity stares, but nothing more than that. He seems to be interested in being around the copperband once in a while. The foxface will go hang right next to Hunter, my copperband, and sort of bob up and down practically touching Hunter. Hunter seems okay with this and when he is tired of the closeness moves off somewhere else. The foxface does this interesting twitching of his dorsal spines a lot of the time. These twitches last a second and it is as if he is flaring up in an agressive manner but no one is around and it only lasts for a second. I have named him Twitch for this behavior. He is mostly quietly bobbing around grazing a bit here and there. I have tons of macro algae for him of all varieties and he seems failry content and settled. He has had two incidents of suddenly zipping in the direction of the copperband so fast it made my head spin. Hunter is just as quick and agile and has disappeared before any contact. It has happened so fast and so suddenly that I cannot get a read on what the foxface is trying to do, whenther it is an agressive stand, meant to cause harm, or just some weird hair up his butt to tear off like that. This fish looks to be as fast and agile as the copperband. Hunter just swims back out a moment later and that is that. I think this will be a good addition to my reef and I recommend this mellow fish to those of you needing an herbivore that is not a tang. I was not wanting to try another tang so this was the next best thing according to my research. I hope he takes a liking to all the macros in the tank . Although, I did see the most healthy, beautiful juvenile Sohal tang that I have ever seen. Darn, I wanted that fish so bad. It has been at the lfs for 2 weeks now and is just awesome. Wish I had a 240-300g tank to house it in. I know it would work in the 120g for a year or so but then what. I have to keep talking myself out of it. No tang, no tang, no tang, no tang, tank to small, tank to small...........

[zhenya]

I have to agree with you on a foxface being a better choice for a herbivore.An obligatory yellow tang that I've purchaced in the beginning was a poor choice on my part I think.My foxface does this dorsal fins show as well,but only if other fish is near by.
Here's my foxface...