Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Australia – Lord Howe Island, and New Zealand – Kermadec Islands.
Size: 8 inches (20 cm)
General Husbandry: This species is rarely collected because of its depth and locale. Males have a whitish upper body with dark vertical bars, with its lower half yellow. Its dorsal, anal and caudal fin lobes are an orange yellow. The female has a dark upper body, with its lower portion white and has a blue spot between the eyes. Both have a tail that tapers into the body, resulting in what can be called a swallowtail appearance. In fact, those in this genus are sometimes called Swallowtail Angelfish.
Not much is known about its diet, but it can be said it should be maintained in moderately lit aquariums since they are usually collected in deep water and like many others in this genus, their captive diet should consist of a wide variety of meaty foods including fortified brine shrimp, mysis and angelfish food preparations, and continued to be offered several times daily.
Depending upon its tankmates, they would no doubt be quite shy when first entering the aquarium, and hide in caves and crevices. But as time passes, should become more outgoing. Those in this genus, as those in the genus Apolemichthys and Chaetodontoplus, are almost always very good tankmates and considered one of the least aggressive in the family. Keep in mind males will fight among themselves, so the limit is one per aquarium, whereas multiple females can be maintained, and all can be maintained with other genus angelfish.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Percoidei
Family: Pomacanthidae
Genus: Genicanthus
FYI: Keeping more than one genus of angelfishes in the same aquarium is possible, yet depends upon several aspects. The following suggested circumstances are just that, possibilities that when heeded and adjusted to actual aquarium conditions ‘may’ make multiple angelfish collections feasible.
Aquarium size – the larger the better.
Other species from the same genus should not be in the same aquarium.
The smallest and most docile genus species should be the first introduced with the largest and most malicious the last to be added.
Do not place similar coloration species in the same aquarium.
Those already in the aquarium should be well fed before adding a newcomer.
Have sufficient hiding places/rocky caves.
Keep in mind all angels have cheekspines at the edge of their gill cover; therefore use caution when handling and also avoid using a net to capture it, as it may become stuck or tangled in the net and become damaged when removed.
Synonym - Holacanthus semicinctus
Experience Level: Intermediate
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Planktivore
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Fish-only and reef aquariums
Reef Safe: Yes
Minimum Tank Size: 125 gallons
Temperature Range: 70 - 77°F (21 – 25°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
