Butterflyfish

[RoyalGrammaPrincessHannah]

A while ago we were offered a tank with everything in it and that was right after we bought the other one for full price. Well, my parents are gonna ask him again and see if he still has it and I want to make it a FOWLR tank. I read once that butterflyfish, unlike angelfish can coexist peacefully. Is this true, or does it have to do with how much alike they look or anything?

 

[Aquascaper]

I'm not too hot on Butterfly fish but do know they require a slightly higher salinity and temperature and should be kept with invertebrates. I have only ever seen these kept as individuals in aquariums (I guess maybe due to tank size required for a shoal) but I would presume that they are similar to Dwarf Angelfish in that they can be kept together as long as they are introduced carefully and they are not too similar in colouration.

HTH

 

[RoyalGrammaPrincessHannah]

How come they should be kept with inverts? And how on a FOWLR tank do you do what a cleanup crew would normally do? Just siphon a little extra and scrub walls more often?

 

[Aquascaper]

FOWLR tanks still have cleanup crews, just no corals as far as i'm concerned. There's many variations of FOWLR according to who you ask - some will say that it is just rock and fish others say rock, fish and inverts.
As for Butterfly fish needing inverts.........as I said I don't know much about them, only what i've read.

 

[Navarre]

Most butterflies are coral munchers. Sadly most of them are also very hard to ween off of such a diet. If you can get a butterfly to eat other foods than corals then you are on a winner and they will thrive in fhish only conditions but make sure they are feeding long before you even consider taking them from a shop as they are very delicate fish.

 

[Chac]

Just to go against the grain here, I have a Racoon in my Reef & have had him for more than a year, he eats
a blended mix (Paste) of Mysis Shrimp, King Prawn, Mussels, Cycloeeze & 1/2 cup of Delicasea Flake & Garlic, which I speread onto my L/R

He hasnt bothered any of my softies or SPS LPS Corals or any Inverts

 

[RoyalGrammaPrincessHannah]

Oh I love the raccoons! Ive read that if you feed them enough of other foods, that they will be less likely to eat corals. But I guess you never really know.

 

[Navarre]

People have had some success wi th racoons. I know a friend who has 2 in his tank and they are model citizens. Copperbands tend to be well behaved also (although they are incredibly delicate and dont survive long usually).