reef safe butterfly fish?

spscrazy · Dec 14, 2011

got the new aquarium fish international mag today & on the front was a "reef safe" masked butterfly fish I have been wanting to get a butterfly but with having sps hermit crabs & coralbanded shrimp, featherdusters, hammer coral, frogspawn and ricordeas I was sure I couldn't have one. they list pyramid, masked and latticed as "reef safe" as in "relatively" reef safe the masked is outta my price range but the 2 others I could do. any one here have them & can tell me how they are doing in their tanks or any other butterfly that would go in my 95 maybe a copperband? I am getting a maxima clam for Christmas (well maybe if anyone at all has listened to me lol) so all you butterfly owners please give me some info on how yours are doing.

KLR · Dec 14, 2011

IIRC WWC had a few pyramid butterflies in one of their displays with sps,lps,and softies.

I am not sure about butterflies with inverts such as crabs,clams,shrimps, etc. I would think if they were well fed, they would ignore them but the time when they get hungry the first thing they would go for would be the inverts.

jabbott · Dec 15, 2011

Like stated earlier, as long as they are well fed they should be ok with corals. But they will not always but most likely mess with clams and anemones as that is part of their natural diet.

Me z · Dec 15, 2011

Its a gamble but you could have luck. Any fish can become a terror in a tank. My powder blue and my buddies powder blue both have tastes for zoa colony's. The second they grow out big enough they come through and mow them down. My other buddy has a regal blue hippo tang that likes lps like acans and chalices. Yet these are both fish hailed to be excellent reef fish because they are (reef safe). Yet I have another friend with a Koran angel, queen angel, and a huge clown trigger and none of them bother any of his corals or clams. I am NOT promoting keeping angels and triggers in a reef but I have seen it done long term without them becoming terrors. I am getting ready to try a moorish idol in my mixed reef, I might be shooting myself in the foot but the risk is worth the possible reward to me.

nixer · Dec 15, 2011

pyramid butterflys are planktivores

spscrazy · Dec 15, 2011

think I am gonna skip the butterfly for now I wouldn't mind losing the hammer & frogspawn but am attached to my sps & rics was leaning to a copperband because I already have a false lemonpeel angel so have yellow covered

SDguy · Dec 15, 2011

Have you thought about a yellow longnose. beautiful, Hardy, and very reef safe. I haven't had issue with mine... I don't keep feather dusters though, at least not on purpose ;)

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pickupman66 · Dec 15, 2011

In my experiences teh Pyramids are VERY VERY reef safe. I had one for about a year and never had any issues out of him. sadly lost due to extenuating circumstances, but I do have another pair of them on order as soon as they are available.