Reef Safe Butterflies - Page 2

Loverotties · 03-22-2006, 10:29 PM

I like the Copperbands!

Booboo33062 · 03-25-2006, 04:30 PM

My lawnmower blenny takes care of my aiptasia. He's real fun to watch.

marianna · 03-25-2006, 06:56 PM

How about the Golden Heniochus RED SEA
It isn't one of the most colorful but it is somewhat reef safe.

http://www.marinecenter.com/fish/but...niochusredsea/

Geoff · 03-26-2006, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marianna

How about the Golden Heniochus RED SEA
It isn't one of the most colorful but it is somewhat reef safe.

http://www.marinecenter.com/fish/but...niochusredsea/

interesting. i would not try that one. in my book it also lists benthic inverts as a diet item. this tends to mean that they like to scour the rocks for food also. a greater chance that it could eat something that you would try a coral. in general the Heniochus's are a polyp eating group, so i would me more weary on that one than the others listed.

good to know though. thanks,

G~

smeese · 04-24-2006, 04:27 AM

vote for copperbands here!

Geoff · 04-24-2006, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smeese

vote for copperbands here!

they are bit riskier than i would usually recommend.

they can be very hit or miss with the fact that they may or may not eat aiptasia. they will also clean a tank out of feather dusters.

i would also put Raccoon butterflies in with copperbands. if you find one that actually will only eat the inverts you want it to than they are fine, but they can turn on you sometimes and start eating or nipping at some of the other polyped critters.

G~

pactrop · 05-07-2006, 12:24 PM

take a look at these links and it will show you how to tell the difference between the two Heniochus. the diphreutes is from Hawaii. I sell them pretty well to LFS. they know they are the right ones because we don't have the evil ones here.

the good heniochus is the heniochus diphreutes,,, see how the anal fin goes straight down? Its directly in line with the tail, it doesn’t sweep outward like the heniochus acuminatus, where the anal fin is longer than straight down from the body.

Diphreutes: http://www.daveharasti.com/nelsonbay/fish/heniochus_diphreutes.jpg

Acuminatus: http://www.horn3.com/divecaroline/images/Fishes/Heniochus%20acuminatus%20D%20King%20Longfin%20bann erfish.jpg

scottj · 08-19-2006, 09:56 PM

I know this isn an old post but just for people browsing through...

http://www.oregonreef.com/images/photos/p_101_l.jpg
http://www.oregonreef.com

For those of you who want to keep BF's in your reef just know that it can be done. This is the best looking reeftank I've ever seen and there's a school of Heni's in it.

One tank that I maintain also has a Longnose Butterfly that has never touched any of their polyps, SPS, LPS or tubeworms.

pactrop · 08-19-2006, 11:15 PM

The heniochus in Oregonreef.com are from Hawaii. Hawaii only has diphreutes and they are reef safe. there are other places where you can get diphreutes but I believe that Hawaii is the only place where diphreutes is the only pennant so if it is from Hawaii you are safe.
Also the longnose butterfly longirostris is reef safe (also from Hawaii).

Flatlander · 08-21-2006, 03:09 PM

My copperband has been with me for about 2.5 yrs. now. He was eating frozen mysis when I purchased him and still very small. He always ate aiptasia and of course any small fanworms I had. Loved most of the frozen foods, like mysis & others.

He did develop a habit of nipping the mantles of my crocea,s. So I sold them & kept him. After all he swims in my fingers & eats from my hand. After talking with others, many fed theirs the common freshwater clams purchased in the supermarket. Mine eats one/day. I feed it on an algae clip, so I dont have to go rooting for the shell after its cleaned out.

As seen in the pics, my percs love it also and the cardinals eat pieces from the current.

I would agree they must be purchased with a word of caution. Many dont make it in aquariums, unless care is taken in its purchase and one must be willing to see to its proper diet. They can also reak havoc on a reef tank, eating things mentioned in this thread, plus most worms they find, most all pods they find. I dont know if it was the copperbands removal of pods or my switch to faster flow, less rock, bare bottomed tanks, but my 4+ yr. old mandarin lost so much weight, we had to catch it and put it in my friends large tank.

mborn · 08-31-2006, 07:01 PM

I like the Long nose Butterfly(Forcipiger flavissimus).

Flatlander · 09-01-2006, 10:38 AM

I will have to try take a new pic as my lawnmower blennie had decided he is to be first in line for clam treats now. What a laugh.

Nyles · 09-01-2006, 11:59 AM

I had a copperband, it nipped at my clams and killed all the feather dusters. I didnt care about the feathers, he only liked one clam, so I covered him. Then he chose a new clam to pick on. So he had to go.

Some people have luck with them not getting a taste for clam but its pretty common for them too. I will say he got along with my three tangs very well, and was very friendly. He is now in a friends fish only tank.