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Western_reefer
05/16/2009, 04:56 PM
Are Spotfin Butterfly( Chaetodon ocellatus ) and 4-eye Butterfly(Chaetodon capistratus ) coral and clam safe?

AuroraDrvr
05/16/2009, 05:01 PM
No

Western_reefer
05/16/2009, 05:21 PM
Both kinds will nip at corals and clams? What kinds of butterfly fish are coral and gorgonian safe?

AuroraDrvr
05/16/2009, 05:25 PM
Your best bet is the Pyramid and Zoster Butterflies. (Hemitaurichthys polylepis and Hemitaurichthys zoster, respectively).

Heniochus diphreutes also gives you better chance of success, though its not a guarantee.

Mariner
05/16/2009, 05:26 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15023357#post15023357 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Western_reefer
Both kinds will nip at corals and clams? What kinds of butterfly fish are coral and gorgonian safe?
Very few. Copperbands, Yellow longnose and one species of Bannerfish are generally OK. I have a Pyramid Butterflyfish that leaves everything alone except the hammer coral.
HTH,
Mariner

AuroraDrvr
05/16/2009, 05:27 PM
Yellow Longnose, and any from the Prognathodes genus should also be less likely to nip.

JHemdal
05/16/2009, 05:44 PM
Mariner, et-al,

Ahhh, I only WISH all copperbands were safe with Tridacna. We added one to our 1300 gallon reef to control Aiptasia, which (suprisingly to me) it did. But then after that, it decided to concentrate on biting our 15 pound Tridacna's mantle and since we couldn't catch up the copperband, we had to remove the big 'ol clam....not a good trade-off in regards to the overall look of the exhibit (IMO).

I like Todd's first answer the best - "no".... but I agree that Forcipiger would be o.k., as well as the zosters. My caveat with diphreutes is the problem with misidentification, and I'm not all that certain that Prognathodes will always work out.

Then, there is always the issue that the spotfins and (more certainly) the 4-eyes will often not do really well in captivity - especially if captured as larger adults.


Jay

Western_reefer
05/16/2009, 06:06 PM
Oh, ok. Thanks for the info/help everyone!!

snorvich
05/16/2009, 07:33 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15023377#post15023377 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mariner
Very few. Copperbands, Yellow longnose and one species of Bannerfish are generally OK. I have a Pyramid Butterflyfish that leaves everything alone except the hammer coral.
HTH,
Mariner

Copperbands may or may not be reef (coral) safe; some are, some are not.

jubjub
05/17/2009, 09:39 AM
yeah i think only copperbands and one type of bannerfish are reef safe.. but the only problem is they look exactly alike

snorvich
05/17/2009, 07:05 PM
No copperbands are NOT reef safe.

Elysia
05/18/2009, 10:44 AM
What about Chaetodon milliaris?

Mariner
05/19/2009, 08:27 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15032153#post15032153 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Elysia
What about Chaetodon milliaris?
No experience with them myself, but fish expert Scott Michael says, "Although this fish is not suitable for a reef aquarium because it will munch on many of your invertebrates, it can be placed in a tank containing only live rock"
You can find his comments on them here (http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/detail.aspx?aid=933&cid=3790&search=)
Mariner

LobsterOfJustice
05/19/2009, 08:58 PM
I know you've already gotten a general answer, but I would have to say that butterflyfish, as a group, are the least coral safe.

Elysia
05/20/2009, 12:06 PM
Actually, the expert Scott Michael says that C. milliaris is a zooplanktivore, like C. smithi and Hemitaurichtys polylepis. But I like Prognathodes aculeatus, too.

Western_reefer
05/30/2009, 11:36 AM
So, even if you keep the butterfly fish full(feed the tank 3 times a day) they will still nip at corals and inverts?

AuroraDrvr
05/30/2009, 12:00 PM
More than likely. Butterflyfish eat all the time in the wild.

Western_reefer
05/30/2009, 08:41 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15103639#post15103639 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AuroraDrvr
More than likely. Butterflyfish eat all the time in the wild.
Oh, ok. Thanks for the info/help everyone!!

Big E
05/31/2009, 04:36 AM
Muelleri Copperbands are coral safe. They come from mud flat areas in Queensland where there are no corals. Mine has never looked at or even sampled a single coral. It ignores my Malu anenome which has no clowns guarding it.

I would question whether they are Clam safe. I don't have any clams but I feed it clam meat which it loves.

saltwatercityma
05/31/2009, 10:08 AM
I have had very good luck w/ Parachaetodon Ocellatus although I have not tried them w/ clams

saltwatercityma
05/31/2009, 10:27 AM
I have had very good luck w/ Parachaetodon Ocellatus although I have not tried them w/ clams