Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Great Barrier Reef.
Size: 4 inches (10 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits holes and crevices in shallow rocky and coral reefs and is usually found between depths of 30 to 65 feet (10 – 20 m) where it feeds on smaller fishes and crustaceans.
General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade, this very hardy species has many different body colorations depending upon age and sex. Males are usually grey or black overall with an orange head and yellow tail. Small to medium size females are usually orange, pinkish or yellow overall with short reddish bars below the aft part of the dorsal fin, while large females are often grey to black with a red belly. Juveniles are pale pink with a yellow head and some yellow on the aft dorsal fin. All have some blue edging on the fins and under and aft of the eye.
Best maintained in fish-only aquariums having some rocky hiding places/crevices to take shelter, as this species is somewhat secretive and also very aggressive. Cannot be trusted with anything less dominating than large eels, angelfishes, surgeonfishes, groupers, squirrelfishes, snappers, triggerfishes and rabbitfishes. Even then, it may nip larger tankmates.
As to diet, products such as marine fish and crustacean flesh, clams, and other marine meaty foods should make up the majority of their diet. Therefore a meaty diet such as enriched chopped fresh fish or shrimp flesh, and/or frozen carnivore foods should be fed once daily.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Percoidei
Family: Pseudochromidae
Subfamily: Pseudochrominae
Genus: Ogilbyina
FYI: What’s somewhat confusing about this fish is that its coloration varies with age and sex, as it has five color stages. Therefore, a specimen may come to a local dealer that is difficult to properly identify, yet look quite attractive. And if the hobbyist is simply attracted by its coloration and thinks there’s room for one more colorful specimen in his or her aquarium and adds one of these, it will become necessary to remove it if there are other fish in the tank unless they are a larger and more aggressive/bolder species.
Give much thought to this species before placing it in your aquarium!
Will eat bristleworms and mantis shrimps.
Experience Level: Intermediate/Professional
Temperament: Aggressive
Diet: Carnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Fish Safe: With much caution
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Aggressive
Minimum Tank Size: 50+ gallons
Temperature Range: 70 - 81°F (21 – 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
