Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Red Sea and East Africa to Tuamotu, Marquesas, and Line Islands, north to Southern Japan and Bonin Islands, south to New Caledonia and Tonga.
Size: 5 inches (14 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits reef flats and lagoon reefs and is usually associated with branching staghorn coral at depths between 3 to about 40 feet (1– 12 m) where juveniles feed on zooplankton, and adults mainly feed on filamentous algae and somewhat on zooplankton.
General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade, as its quite drab having a brownish tan body. May showup as an ‘Assorted Damselfish.’
Best maintained in fish-only aquaria having live rock with growths of various forms of algae, hiding places, and aggressive tankmates, e.g., dottybacks, hawkfishes, large wrasses, large angelfishes and surgeonfishes, and triggerfishes.
Can injure or kill live stony corals as it cultures filamentous algae on stony corals.
As to diet, plant material (adults main food in the wild), e.g., flake foods, especially those containing Spirulina and Nori, combined with most regular aquarium foods, e.g., live fortified brine shrimp and/or finely chopped various frozen or fresh meaty foods such as mysis, squid, fish flesh, shrimp, clam, etc., which would be mainly for juveniles, should be offered once or twice daily.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Labroidei
Family: Pomacentridae
Subfamily: Pomacentrinae
Genus: Stegastes
FYI: One per aquarium, unless being maintained in large aquariums, >75 gallons.
Experience Level: Intermediate
Temperament: Aggressive
Diet: Omnivore
Coral Safe: No
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Aggressive
Minimum Tank Size: 75 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 84°F (22 – 28°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
