Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Sumatra to Vanuatu, east to Caroline Islands, north to Southern Japan, and south to New Caledonia.
Size: 3 inches (8 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits shallow lagoons, back reefs, reef faces and fore-reef slopes at depths between 3 to about 30 feet (1 – 10 m) and mainly feeds on planktonic crustaceans (copepods, mysis, and shrimp larvae), fish eggs and filamentous algae.
General Husbandry: Fairly common in the trade, yet not a peaceful community fish. Both juveniles and adults have a white body with four black vertical bands, the first through the eyes, next two on the mid body, and the fourth on the tail.
Best housed with dottybacks, large angelfishes and surgeonfishes, and triggerfishes.
As to diet, a meaty diet, e.g., live fortified brine shrimp and/or finely chopped various frozen or fresh meaty foods such as mysis, squid, fish flesh, shrimp, clam and plant material, e.g., flake foods, especially those containing Spirulina should be offered several times daily.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Labroidei
Family: Pomacentridae
Subfamily: Chrominae
Genus: Dascyllus
FYI: Juveniles can be maintained in small groups, yet as they age, will quarrel with each other, and tankmates even if they are also quite feisty.
Cute when small, but devils when they mature. Think twice before putting these in your aquarium!
Expansive growths of branching stony corals provide this species a more appropriate environment.
Experience Level: Intermediate
Temperament: Feisty/belligerent
Diet: Omnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Aggressive
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Temperature Range: 74 - 84°F (23 – 28°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
