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long nosed butterfly fish (Forcipiger flavissimus), reef safe?
- Thread starter tonyjared
- Start date
I have had LFS's advise against them due the fact that they "may" nip at corals. I have not seen proof, but I am not willing to risk it. But at other LFS's I have seen them in the display tanks. In my mind, if there is a chance it could hurt, I stay away. Anyone out there have one that is a model citizen?
Kenny Z.
Kenny Z.
From what I've seen of them they are pretty reef safe. I've actually never talked to anyone who had a problem with them. Many books put them as "generally reef safe" just as they do the copperband butterfly which most people would consider reef safe. There is always the occasional specimen that will nip at a coral hence the warning.
In my personal opinion, if you like the longnose butterfly check out the BIG LONGNOSE BUTTERFLY which is generally considered to be an excellent reef safe fish. It looks pretty much just like the yellow longnose except it's snout is more elongated then the yellow longnose. It has a tiny mouth so you need to feed small food items.
I've seen different lfs mismark both of these fish. The easiest way to tell the difference is to look at the color of the eyes. On the Yellow Longnose the bottom 1/3 of the eye will be white(ish) in color where on the Big Longnose it will be completely black or have just a tiny bit of white on the underside of the eyelid area (under the actual eye). Of course the snout is longer on the Big Longnose but that can be hard to tell if you aren't used to the difference between the two.
The Big Longnose would be the butterfly of choice in my opinion to add to a reef tank and are just as safe as any tang would be. Because of it's small mouth a natural food of choice is the Amphipod. Mine has always eaten frozen shrimp as well as other foods. As with any "tricky" eaters get the lfs to feed the fish in the store so you can see it eat before you purchase it.
Carlo
In my personal opinion, if you like the longnose butterfly check out the BIG LONGNOSE BUTTERFLY which is generally considered to be an excellent reef safe fish. It looks pretty much just like the yellow longnose except it's snout is more elongated then the yellow longnose. It has a tiny mouth so you need to feed small food items.
I've seen different lfs mismark both of these fish. The easiest way to tell the difference is to look at the color of the eyes. On the Yellow Longnose the bottom 1/3 of the eye will be white(ish) in color where on the Big Longnose it will be completely black or have just a tiny bit of white on the underside of the eyelid area (under the actual eye). Of course the snout is longer on the Big Longnose but that can be hard to tell if you aren't used to the difference between the two.
The Big Longnose would be the butterfly of choice in my opinion to add to a reef tank and are just as safe as any tang would be. Because of it's small mouth a natural food of choice is the Amphipod. Mine has always eaten frozen shrimp as well as other foods. As with any "tricky" eaters get the lfs to feed the fish in the store so you can see it eat before you purchase it.
Carlo