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View Full Version : "reef safe" Butterflyfish experience?


boilermaker1
07/28/2008, 09:13 PM
I know its not entirely true, but I dont have that much coral in the tank so I'll take the gamble.
Looking at 2 that seem to have a reputation for being ok....
Yellow Pyramid (Hemitaurichthys polylepis)
Orange (Chaetodon kleini)

Just wondering if anyone has some experience with them....
I have a 90G with fairly open rock work, looking to upgrade to a 6' tank within the next year.
Have 4 fish listed below, biggest one is the hippo at about 5".... its pretty tame in there, excluding the occasional clownfish chase.
The only coral I have is a Hammer, a Torch and a Devil's Hand. I do realize that the Orange butterfly may make my devils hand lunch, but the guy I talked to at live aquaria said if I keep him well fed, he may leave the corals alone.... but more for the future... if I wanted to add more corals... can I get away with the fish, and not just be providing him with expensive snacks? Looking to get a small one so hopefully it will be more adaptive to the tank and commercial food rather than coral.

snorvich
07/29/2008, 06:26 AM
Yellow pyramids are plantivores and I have them in two of my reef tanks.

rssjsb
07/29/2008, 08:50 AM
I had a klein's for awhile, he was great for aiptasia, but he also ate zoanthids and (I assume) would probably have started on my other corals, too. Too bad. Not flashy, but a nice fish anyway, and they're very hardy.

Dakota Reef
07/29/2008, 04:59 PM
This seems to be the question of the day.

I've kept a longnose butterfly in a mixed SPS/softy tank with no issues for well over five years.