My 240g FOWLR

[hkarmy25]

What are you feeding? I've had the worst luck with butterflies..

[SDguy]

Most of my butterflies are several years old, and most eat pellets at this point.

My feeding generally consists of pellets first (ON, NLS, HBH)
Then some sort of frozen (Hikari mysis, PE mysis, various plankton brands, ON cubes, scallop, shrimp, clam)

Occasionally they'll get a treat of live blackworms at the end of the night to really fatten them up.

[roenicknewf]

Great pictures !Beautiful fish ! Awesome set up !

[SDguy]

Originally Posted by roenicknewf

Great pictures !Beautiful fish ! Awesome set up !

Thanks!

[kirkaz]

Awesome tank and fish, I'm really growing to like Butterflies more and more and can't figure out why I don't have any! Your list of Butterflies is fantastic.

I don't know what it is about the left side, but I would play around with the rockwork, it looks a bit "unnatural" to me, like it is "too stacked" or something....just my opinion, take it with a grain of salt.

[SDguy]

Originally Posted by kirkaz

Awesome tank and fish, I'm really growing to like Butterflies more and more and can't figure out why I don't have any! Your list of Butterflies is fantastic.

I don't know what it is about the left side, but I would play around with the rockwork, it looks a bit "unnatural" to me, like it is "too stacked" or something....just my opinion, take it with a grain of salt.

Thanks, and no, you are 100% correct. Somehow the stacking and placement of the rocks on that side ended up making them all in the same vertical or horizontal plane, making a sort of grid pattern. I need to work on it. I figured I'd change it once I do pillars on the right, and add more sand too.

[RayL]

Your tank is looking great, and your fish assortment is amaing. I have no idea how you have managed to keep so many butterflies alive but what ever you are doing, it must be right. They are so hard to keep from my past experience trying

[SDguy]

Originally Posted by RayL

Your tank is looking great, and your fish assortment is amazing. I have no idea how you have managed to keep so many butterflies alive but what ever you are doing, it must be right. They are so hard to keep from my past experience trying

Thanks very much, it was no walk in the park for me at first.

First thing I learned. QT is a must... prepare at the very least cupramine and a broad spectrum med like nitrofuracin green powder.

Second thing: QT is a must, this time to give them opportunity to learn to accept food.

Third thing: Forget prepared foods at first. Go with grocery store seafood meats like shrimp, scallop, and clam. Also, nowadays, some frozen foods like PE mysis and such. Basically, hope they accept pellets over time (months to years) but don't expect it.

Fourth. Good water quality. A big skimmer, and good water change schedule.

Fifth: Non-aggressive tankmates (for most).

[RayL]

Originally Posted by SDguy

Thanks very much, it was no walk in the park for me at first.

First thing I learned. QT is a must... prepare at the very least cupramine and a broad spectrum med like nitrofuracin green powder.

Second thing: QT is a must, this time to give them opportunity to learn to accept food.

Third thing: Forget prepared foods at first. Go with grocery store seafood meats like shrimp, scallop, and clam. Also, nowadays, some frozen foods like PE mysis and such. Basically, hope they accept pellets over time (months to years) but don't expect it.

Fourth. Good water quality. A big skimmer, and good water change schedule.

Fifth: Non-aggressive tankmates (for most).

I think my biggest problem was not following your fifth rule and that might have been what set me up for failure.

Maybe in the distant future I will set up another tank for just butterfly's like yours. Before I do, I need to set up a tang and angel tank and then I can consider it

[SDguy]

Originally Posted by RayL

I think my biggest problem was not following your fifth rule and that might have been what set me up for failure.

Maybe in the distant future I will set up another tank for just butterfly's like yours. Before I do, I need to set up a tang and angel tank and then I can consider it

No offense, but that's the least likely, if all the others were followed, to be an issue

[Ridem32]

I bought the golden also! So my 2 butterfly's should be here Friday alone with my regal orange Red Sea angel. I'm excited! I have lots if tangs and 3 angels but never a butterfly! I have read all your post here! Just added another HOB filter now I got 2 on my 55 gallon QT if the 2 butterfly's fight I will install eggcrate but if they do good together in QT I will know they should be ok together in a DT. You have really helped me out lots ! I have 2 nice DT with tangs, angels and clowns can't wait to see how my butterfly's do! All 3 of my fish coming in Friday are from the Red Sea I will keep ya posted and post pics when I get them! I think I counted 29 fish on your list!! Very nice tank! Just goes to show what water quality can do!

[SDguy]

Good luck with them!

[Ridem32]

Tangs,angels ,HT, triggers, clowns I tell them if you act ugly to each other you going into the sump s few days! Lol. Butterfly's may not listen to me! Lol
So I might need lots of luck!
Thanks!! I will keep ya posted !

[angelfish7]

Awesome tank as always SD. I would love to add more butterflys . Right now i only have a semilarvatus . I lost three b/f's during the Sandy storm last year. 2 questions:

Can i add another semilarvatus even if mine has been in the DT for a year now?
How long have you had that Rock beauty as those guys are so hard to keep. Had one for six months and one day just stopped eating!

btw I have large angels in the DT but they dont seem to care about the butterflys.

[danielp]

Outstanding fish collection, great job!!!

[RayL]

angelfish7 - Current Tank Info: 220 fowlr-blueface,queen, emperor,false personifer, Scribbled, and French angels, blond naso tang,blue throat trigger

Are all these angels adults? do you see any aggression between them or are they peaceful? Seems like a lot of potentially large fish in this tank

[SDguy]

Originally Posted by angelfish7

Awesome tank as always SD. I would love to add more butterflies . Right now i only have a semilarvatus . I lost three b/f's during the Sandy storm last year. 2 questions:

Can i add another semilarvatus even if mine has been in the DT for a year now?
How long have you had that Rock beauty as those guys are so hard to keep. Had one for six months and one day just stopped eating!

BTW I have large angels in the DT but they don't seem to care about the butterflies.

I've had horrid experiences keeping conspecifics, so I'd say no. I'd also mention that my semilarvatus is the most aggressive butterfly I own. Probably why he does well with your large angels.

I've had the rock beauty for a while now... I'd have to look it up.... almost a year I'd guess.

Originally Posted by danielp

Outstanding fish collection, great job!!!

Thanks, will be posting a video shortly.

[SDguy]

Alright, all the kids are in the pool

[RayL]

Great video, a question for you. My fish almost all hide when they sleep, you dont seem to have a ton of rock in your tank and you have a decent amount of fish. Do some of them sleep together in the same spot or do some of them sleep in the corner of the tank with no shelter?

[caribfan]

As always, stunning! I love seeing the little Mitratus zipping around in there, I can't wait till I get to put mine in the new 240.

I noticed some small fish down in the right hand corner at about 23 seconds, what are those called and what do you know about them. My LFS gets them in from time to time and has always called them banana fish. I've been tempted a number of times, but never pulled the trigger.

[reef80]

Wow...what's the qt procedure u set for our fishes...esp the more difficult butterflies

[SDguy]

Originally Posted by RayL

Great video, a question for you. My fish almost all hide when they sleep, you dont seem to have a ton of rock in your tank and you have a decent amount of fish. Do some of them sleep together in the same spot or do some of them sleep in the corner of the tank with no shelter?

From what I've seen in the mornings, the butterflies don't really hide behind/under rocks when they sleep.

Originally Posted by caribfan

As always, stunning! I love seeing the little Mitratus zipping around in there, I can't wait till I get to put mine in the new 240.

I noticed some small fish down in the right hand corner at about 23 seconds, what are those called and what do you know about them. My LFS gets them in from time to time and has always called them banana fish. I've been tempted a number of times, but never pulled the trigger.

Sea breams... very neat fish. Pentapodus emeryii.

Originally Posted by reef80

Wow...what's the qt procedure u set for our fishes...esp the more difficult butterflies

4-8 weeks with cupramine, prazi pro, and nitrofuracin green powder...

[SDguy]

Lame music to cover the sound

[SDguy]

New list:
Added

LARGE pomacanthus navarchus (replacing the smaller one I got rid of)
Pygoplites diacanthus (have had him for a while in the fuge, just finally put him in the DT)
Pentapodus emeryii X 3 (cleaner wrasse HATES them )
Chaetodon falcula (semilarvatus HATES him)
Chaetodon mertensii (no issues, surprisingly)
Chelmon rostratus (muelleri hates him, no issue with the marginalis, surprisingly)
Parachaetodon ocellatus x 2 (I'm not hopeful with these guys...they refuse everything but live blackworms - oh, and semilarvatus hates them too )
Chrysiptera parasema (In hiding from the other damsels)
Pomacentrus alleni X 2 (haven't seen them since they were put in the tank )

I'm surprised even in an 8' tank how aggressive tiny damsels can be to each other.


Labroides dimidiatus
Thalassoma bifasciatum
Chaetodontoplus meredithi
Pomacanthus asfur
Pomacanthus navarchus
Holacanthus tricolor
Chaetodon collare
Chaetodon declivis
Chaetodon ephippium
Chaetodon fasciatus
Chaetodon flavirostris
Chaetodon mitratus
Chaetodon paucifasciatus
Chaetodon pelewensis/punctatofasciatus hybrid
Chaetodon rainfordi
Chaetodon semilarvatus
Chaetodon xanthurus
Chelmon marginalis
Chelmon muelleri
Zanclus cornutus
Scarus quoyi
Amphiprion melanopus x 2
Chrysiptera hemicyanea
Chrysiptera starcki x 2
Chrysiptera talboti x 2
Pomacentrus alleni

[RayL]

This tank is looking amazing, all those butterfly's swimming together along with some angels is very impressive. Have you considered adding any tangs to the tank?