Butterflyfish for Mixed Reef

[Alumentum]

Hello!

I'd like to eventually keep cheaper/tougher SPS, some LPS like frogspawn and gonipora, and softies like shrooms and leathers. Are there any butterfly fish that are typically safe with these? I know none are 100% but it helps to have input from people who've kept them.

Some of my favorite butterfly fish that I'm eying up are:

Chaetodon collare - Pakistan Butterfly
Chaetodon rafflesi - Latticed Butterfly
Chaetodon punctatofasciatus - Spotband Butterfly
Chaetodon ephippium - Saddleback Butterfly
Chaetodon xanthurus - Pearlscale

 

[areefer01]

Hello!

I'd like to eventually keep cheaper/tougher SPS, some LPS like frogspawn and gonipora, and softies like shrooms and leathers. Are there any butterfly fish that are typically safe with these? I know none are 100% but it helps to have input from people who've kept them.

Some of my favorite butterfly fish that I'm eying up are:

Chaetodon collare - Pakistan Butterfly
Chaetodon rafflesi - Latticed Butterfly
Chaetodon punctatofasciatus - Spotband Butterfly
Chaetodon ephippium - Saddleback Butterfly
Chaetodon xanthurus - Pearlscale

Know upfront that all fish are different as are our experiences with them as fellow hobbyist. One thing I've noticed with my few butterflyfish (none of which are on your list) is that soft corals never make it. By soft I am talking about Xenia and Xenia looking corals. In my case Xenia and Blue Cespitularia didn't stand a chance. My Milletseed Butterflyfish nips at all of my SPS which keeps the polyps in check during the day.

I have Corky Sea Finger which they leave alone. LPS (Torch, Frogspawn, Hammer) they leave alone. Alveopora is left alone as is my gonipora.

TL; DR - soft corals in my experience are more at risk. SPS gets drive by nip and tucks but may be for algae, debris, or lodged food as they continue to grow. Not sure if you looked at all but every one on your list is typically labeled as "No" - not reef safe.

 

[Alumentum]

TL; DR - soft corals in my experience are more at risk. SPS gets drive by nip and tucks but may be for algae, debris, or lodged food as they continue to grow. Not sure if you looked at all but every one on your list is typically labeled as "No" - not reef safe.

Yes, wasn't sure if they preferred specific kinds of corals like your millet seed seems to. That said, I've pretty much assumed that open brain types and polyps like xenia, yellows, gsp and zoanthids were out. I'll look more into millet seed butterflies. I'm curious how the pyramids and banner butterflies usually work out?

 

[dennis romano]

The butterflies that you have listed are basically generalist feeders. That means that they will eat just about everything. I'm currently running a FOWLR with butterflies. Over the years, I have experimented with different corals, both hard and soft, and anemones and found that basically nothing is safe. There is only one species in the Heniochus genus that is considered reef safe but is next to impossible to tell it apart from the coral eater. As for the pyramids, people report that they are ok.

 

[areefer01]

Yes, wasn't sure if they preferred specific kinds of corals like your millet seed seems to. That said, I've pretty much assumed that open brain types and polyps like xenia, yellows, gsp and zoanthids were out. I'll look more into millet seed butterflies. I'm curious how the pyramids and banner butterflies usually work out?

Milletseeds are captive bred only these days due to being Hawaiian endemic and therefore rare. When they become available they go rather quickly. Zoster and Pyramid you will see in reefs but again some soft corals are at risk. So back to Xenia and some zoa's being at risk.

Probably circles back to what corals you really want to keep and the risk level you are willing to take. I have made a few changes such as feeding dry pellet mix hourly with an auto feeder (small portions) and two frozen feedings per day. Seems to be working for me and I'm ok with not having a few soft corals.

 

[Alumentum]

Awesome, thanks for the input everyone. I'll look into milletseeds and and zosters and look for more info on what corals they target. I'm fine with not having polyps, but my leathers and shrooms are must haves lol.

 

[Dicey1]

I have a raccoon and a vagabond butterfly and so far they do eat all Xenia. My Cespitularias, toadstool, spaghetti finger leather, and Duncan’s are not touched. Just got a cauliflower colt a few days ago and so far they haven’t touched it. I have a few zoas but they’ve been picked on and probably won’t make it. This is just my experience with these two butterflies. Hope this helps.

 

[littlefoxx]

I have a kleini butterfly who never ate corals until I put torches in my tank. Then he ate them all pretty much overnight! Evil little devil lol

 

[Peterrdee]

I heard manyspined and thomsons butterfly’s are plankton eaters just like black pyramid zosters and yellow pyramids maybe Heniochus dipreutes also? My yellow pyramid never ate any of my corals when I had it, but my yellow tang bullied the poor thing, I now have a teardrop, I’ve tried many butterflies some never lasted long because I wasn’t careful

 

[NotReefsafe]

Experiences with Longnose and Pearlscale?

If you designed a tank around butterflies, what corals would you put in it?