Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Eastern Pacific Ocean: Line, Society, Rapa, and Austral Islands.
Size: 6 inches (15 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits coral reefs and usually found at depths between 3 - 100 feet (1 - 30 m) where it feeds on detritus, bacteria, and diatoms found on the substrate/sediment.
General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade having a laterally compressed body and a small mouth, such as angelfishes and butterflyfishes and having a reddish body with numerous orange spots on the head and turning into lines on the body, and with the trailing edge of the eye rimmed in yellow. Juveniles are yellow overall.
Best maintained in well-established reef or fish-only aquariums having wide-open swimming areas and rocky crevices to seek shelter if needing to, and preferably with copious amounts of microalgae. Tankmates should be non-fin-nipping species and quite peaceful, as those in this family have large fins that make good targets for fin-nippers.
Requires a varied vegetable diet, including Spirulina, zucchini, broccoli, dried seaweed (Nori), and enriched vegetable flakes, and requires two or three feedings per day. Will not browse on filamentous algae, as it clogs its teeth, which are specialized to scrape particular matter off rock, dead coral and out of turf algae.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Acanthuroidei
Family: Acanthuridae
Genus: Ctenochaetus
FYI: One per tank.
Has a sharp forward pointing spine on each side of the caudal peduncle, which folds into a groove, yet they are poorly developed and therefore become dominated by others in other genera in this family, therefore, its best not to house with species from other genera. Yet if erected when excited, they can cause damage to the hands of its keeper if handled carelessly.
May quarrel with other species in its genus.
Experience Level: Intermediate
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Herbivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Fish Safe: Yes
Invertebrate Safe: Yes
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Peaceful
Minimum Tank Size: 75 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 - 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.025
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
