Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: East Africa to Hawaiian and Easter Islands, north to Southern Japan, and south to Lord Howe Island. Also Central Pacific Ocean: Panama, Revillagigedo Islands, Clipperton Island and Cocos Island.
Size: 32 inches (80 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits rocky and coral reefs and can usually be found at depths between 15 - 400 feet (5 - 120 m) and among stony coral branches and black corals where it feeds mainly on small fishes and shrimp.
General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade and having two different color forms; an reddish brown morph and a bright yellow form. All have two black spots on the tail fin, one on the base of the each pelvic fin, and a black streak on the lower jaw.
Best maintained in large aquariums with sufficient open areas, yet areas where it can hide behind as its usually quite shy, especially when first introduced into the aquarium. Even though quite docile and peaceful, tankmates should be large enough so as not to be eaten.
Requires a meaty diet such as enriched chopped fish or shrimp flesh, mysis, frozen brine shrimp, and/or frozen carnivore foods with one or two feedings per day.
May be difficult to feed in the early days in the aquarium and if so, live foods, e.g., live enriched brine shrimp, grass shrimp, baby mollies and/or guppies should be offered. Over time, it will learn to accept frozen foods like mysis, krill and brine shrimp more readily when offered to others in the aquarium.
Taxonomy:
Order: Gasterosteiformes
Suborder: Syngnathoidei
Family: Aulostomidae
Genus: Aulostomus
FYI: One per aquarium.
Aquarium should be covered, as this species will jump out of an uncovered aquarium.
Will eat ornamental shrimp.
Tankmates should not include fast moving fishes that would pester this species, e.g., triggerfish or large damselfish.
This is a slow moving fish that can easily get sucked into an open intake siphon, therefore these type intakes must have a strainer on their intake areas.
Usually swims with snout down.
Experience Level: Intermediate
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Carnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Fish Safe: With caution
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish only aquarium
Tankmates: Peaceful
Minimum Tank Size: 150 gallons
Temperature Range: 70 - 80°F (21 – 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
