Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: South Pacific Ocean: Easter Island to New Caledonia and Australia.
Size: 10 inches (24 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits rocky areas on inshore reefs and usually found at depths between 30 – 100 feet (10 – 30 m) where it feeds on zooplankton and benthic invertebrate.
General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade, with the adult male having an overall dark blue body with scales edged in light blue, and the female having a yellowish body with blue horizontal lines from the snout to the caudal peduncle with it becoming all blue including the tail.
Can be maintained in either fish-only or reef aquariums with each having a fine (0.5 – 2 mm) substrate of at least 4 inches (10 cm) in depth.
Requires a meaty diet, including fortified brine shrimp, mysis, black worms and other meaty type marine-based frozen foods. Needs two or three feedings per day. May be very difficult to get feeding in the beginning, and if so, try some live foods, such as black worms (Lumbriculus variegatus) or adult fortified brine shrimp.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Labroidei
Family: Labridae
Genus: Anampses
FYI: Should only be kept in aquaria with a deep sandbed as they bury themselves at night, and when so, may often disturb bottom dwelling corals such as brain corals and Heliofungia corals.
Requires slightly cooler water temperatures.
Will eat ornamental crustaceans and fanworms, and may pick on Tridacna clams.
One male per aquarium.
May jump out of uncovered aquariums.
Can be difficult to acclimate.
Experience Level: Professional
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Carnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Fish Safe: Yes
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Peaceful
Minimum Tank Size: 100 gallons
Temperature Range: 68- 77°F (20 – 25°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
