Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Western Atlantic Ocean: North Carolina, Gulf of Mexico to Brazil.
Size: 20 inches (50 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits shallow patch and seaward reefs and usually found at depths between 15 – 150 feet (5 – 45 m) where it feeds small fishes and benthic invertebrates.
General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade with the juvenile a mottled white and yellow with a large black eyespot on the dorsal and partly on the upper body. As it grows into adulthood becomes an overall greenish with some pale yellowish green throughout the central body.
Best maintained in fish-only aquariums having a fine sand bed, (0.5 – 2.0 mm) and at least 4 inches deep for a juvenile, and far deeper as it grows to adulthood. It will also require several rocky crevices to hunt and also open swimming areas. Those in this genus will not only rearrange bottom dwelling corals in its search for tasty bottom dwelling invertebrates, as it will eat smaller fishes, snails, tubeworms, sea stars, cucumbers, urchins, crabs, and shrimp. It will also quickly burrow into the sand bed if frightened or for sleeping at night. This diving into the sand bed will cause clouds of sand particles to be dispensed into the water, and would cause various corals harm, therefore, those in this genus, depending upon their size, are not often recommended for reef aquariums.
Preferable tankmates are those that are larger and somewhat aggressive, e.g., groupers, angelfishes, hawkfishes, and moderately aggressive triggerfishes.
Requires a meaty diet, including fortified brine shrimp, mysis, and other meaty type marine-based frozen for fresh foods, and should be fed twice daily.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Labroidei
Family: Labridae
Genus: Halichoeres
FYI: Upon first entering the aquarium may stay buried for days. Simply await its decision when to emerge. Once established, it will go to sleep under the sand and arise the next morning at almost the exact same time every day!
The aquarium should have small pieces of rocks for the wrasse to 'play' with in its daily search for prey.
Can greatly stir bottom sandbeds creating large clouds of sand being dispensed in many directions.
One male per aquarium.
Experience Level: Intermediate
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Diet: Carnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Fish Safe: With caution
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Larger, active and moderately aggressive
Minimum Tank Size: 150 gallons
Temperature Range: 74 - 82°F (23 – 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
