Butterfly fish with corals

travis89

Active Member
Originally Posted by tigerlb923
What are good types of butterfly fish to put with corals if any??
None really, but if you really want one and have a big enough tank then the copperband is usually considered the safest. Needs at least 55 gallons though.
 

saltn00b

Active Member
the heniochus is also considered a somewhat safe species. both are really luck of the draw as to what they eat and dont.
 

stanlalee

Active Member
yes the irony, you dont get em because they might nip/eat your corals yet they end up not doing well because they wont eat. Then the ones that will readily eat arent reef safe at all. Beautiful fish though. Angels and butterflies are almost pretty enough to make you say corals be damned.
 

tigerlb923

New Member
Originally Posted by Stanlalee
yes the irony, you dont get em because they might nip/eat your corals yet they end up not doing well because they wont eat. Then the ones that will readily eat arent reef safe at all. Beautiful fish though. Angels and butterflies are almost pretty enough to make you say corals be damned.
I couldn't agree with you more. Nothing bugs me more than to be showing off your aquarium and you tell them that's it's a coral and they say "Oh I thought that was a rock." It can surely p*** you off! I want to fish only but he likes having the coral.
 

mikeyjer

Active Member
Originally Posted by saltn00b
the heniochus is also considered a somewhat safe species. both are really luck of the draw as to what they eat and dont.
Heniochus are NOT considered reef safe!!! I had them before I started my reef, they pick on EVERYTHING!!! When I get another tank setup, I would like to get'em again. They're really pretty fish. None of the Butterfly family is considered reef safe! :happyfish
 

saltn00b

Active Member
well sorry for my wording, they arent considered reef safe , per se. but others have kept them safely so you have a similar risk with them as you do with the CB. sorry you didnt have luck with them mikey.
 

murph

Active Member
Originally Posted by tigerlb923
I couldn't agree with you more. Nothing bugs me more than to be showing off your aquarium and you tell them that's it's a coral and they say "Oh I thought that was a rock." It can surely p*** you off! I want to fish only but he likes having the coral.
Anyone with powers of observation so weak that they cant tell the difference between a live coral and a rock is not worth impressing.
 

birdy

Active Member
There are two different species of Heniochus, one will devour all corals in its path, the other "might" leave them alone.
Heniochus diphreutes, can be okay in a reef
Heniochus acuminatus, will decimate a reef
Copperbanded will pick on any feather dusters, possibly polyps and other corals, and have a dismal longterm sucess rate, even in a reef tank.
 

rustyj

Member
I have had a copperband for many months and it has never touched any of my corals and it keep the atpasia from killing the corals. The coral research center called GARF even recomends them and used them. They have been tank raising corals since the 70s and sells frags, grunge (great way to seed your tank) and snails, hermits too. I learned alot from going from all fish tank for many years to coral tank that has done very well. (www.garf.org).
 
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