Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: East Africa to Samoa, and to the Line Islands.
Size: 20 inches (50 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits seaward reefs and usually found at depths between 15 – 100 feet (5 – 30 m) where it feeds on small fishes and crustaceans.
General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade with juveniles having a yellowish-white body with several lengthwise red lines. As it grows into adulthood, males have a pale green head with irregular white lines; dark green body divided with a white vertical bar on the frontal body, with females a pale yellowish tan with numerous vertical dark yellow bars.
Best maintained in fish-only aquariums having a fine sand bed, (0.5 – 2.0 mm) and at least 4 inches deep (for juveniles), along with 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 that it can find, 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, are not recommended for reef aquariums.
As to diet, products such as marine fish and crustacean flesh, clams, and other marine meaty foods should make up the majority of the juveniles diet and be enriched and chopped into small pieces and fed twice daily.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Labroidei
Family: Labridae
Genus: Hologymnosus
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!
Food fish in local areas.
May jump out of the aquarium if frightened!
One male per tank. (Juvenile will eventually turn into a male.)
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: 250 gallons
Temperature Range: 74 - 82°F (23 – 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
