Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Atlantic Ocean: Massachusetts to southeastern Brazil, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Size: 18 inches (45 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabit shallow water areas over grass flats and usually found at depths between 10 – 100 feet (3 – 30 m) where it feeds on benthic invertebrates, crustaceans, algae/sea weed, sea squirts, sponges and worms.
General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade, having a pale yellowish-tan body with irregular dark blue markings and horns over the eyes.
Best maintained in large fish-only aquariums having wide-open swimming areas and slow moving and very peaceful tankmates.
Requires a varied diet containing both meaty and vegetable matter and should be fed several times daily.
Taxonomy:
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Suborder: Tetraodontoidei
Family: Ostraciidae
Genus: Acanthostracion
FYI: A slow moving fish, therefore, it should not be housed with fast moving and/or fin-nipping fishes.
Will eat snails and ornamental shrimp.
One per aquarium.
Do not offer floating foods, as this species may ingest air and cause buoyancy problems.
May consume cyanobacteria/slime algae and other types of macro and microalgae.
May nip soft and stony corals, and clam mantles.
When excited or threatened can release a toxin (ostracitoxin) that may kill other fish.
Always remove a specimen if it's being picked on or in bad health.
Experience Level: Expert
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Omnivore
Coral Safe: No
Fish Safe: Yes
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Peaceful
Minimum Tank Size: 250 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 79°F (22 – 26°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
