Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Endemic to Queensland, Australia.
Size: 6 inches (15 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits holes and crevices in shallow 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 with females usually having a greyish head and some yellow/orange above the anal fin, along with five or six brown bars on the upper back. Also has somewhat reddish fins. Males are usually reddish upfront with purplish or a greyish aft area along with bluish fins, and some red on the front portion of the dorsal fin.
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: As with others in this genus, coloration varies with age and sex. 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.
Far too aggressive to be kept with ‘any’ fish its own coloration.
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
