Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Red Sea south to Natal South Africa, east to Bali and Indonesia.
Size: 5 inches (13 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits coastal slopes and drop-off areas in small aggregations, which are usually dominated by one male, and usually found at depths between 65 – 150 feet (20 – 45 m) where it feeds on zooplankton and benthic invertebrate.
General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade, with both sexes having an orange brown body with numerous white dots on the face and arranged in horizontal lines on the body. The male has a yellow band at the base of the tail, whereas the female has a white band.
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.
Will eat ornamental crustaceans and fanworms, and may pick on Tridacna clams.
One male per aquarium.
May jump out of uncovered aquariums.
Experience Level: Intermediate
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: 74- 82°F (23 – 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
