Cali Kid Corals

Pyramid Butterfly – Reef safe?

Yah, fine in schools of 10,20, etc or more :lol:

Don't get your stocking advice from looking at tanks in stores. They are not usually kept there long enough to show their true disposition ;)
 
They do eventually wear each other down, it's more persistent nibbling than anything, like kids poking each other in the back seat of the car when you're not looking.

Anthias can be cool, as Erin mentioned there are schooling cardinalfish that make for an awesome display, with more and more species being brought in all of the time.
 
JRocha said:
what about orange firefish I always see them at the store in a big school?

Yeah, I like those too. I leaning towards a mix of fire fish and cardinals. I really like the b/fly, but am still worried about space issues.

Too many choices!

-Gregory
 
Ooops, didn't see the last two replies. So much for that.

I REALLY like Anthias, but I've heard they're a little more demanding/difficault and need to be fed several times a day. Is this true?

-Gregory
 
Yeah some of the deep water ones can be difficult or so I have heard because they can from deep water and have trouble adjusting. Though some like Barlett's Anthias (Pseudanthias Bartlettorum) are great. Though if you are looking for a butterfly fish that could be okay for a bigger reef tank you could try either a big longnose butterflyfish, thugh it can be difficult and can not be kept with aggresive fish, or a Caribbean longnose butterflyfish, which is small but may not be okay in intense light and will eat feather dusters and may nip at gorgonians and LPS corals.
 
GDawson said:
Ooops, didn't see the last two replies. So much for that.

I REALLY like Anthias, but I've heard they're a little more demanding/difficault and need to be fed several times a day. Is this true?

-Gregory


Some are more difficult than others, they do need a lot of food, I feed mine twice a day flake in the morning and a special blend in the evening.

On service tanks I add an auto feeder and have the customer feed once a day so they get two feedings, also I recommend feeding slowly not just dumping the food in all at once.
 
If anybody is keeping groups of firefish longer than a year I'd love to hear what the secret is. Every story I've heard has them getting along as juvies and then killing each other as they get older until there is one left.
 
Matt_Wandell said:
If anybody is keeping groups of firefish longer than a year I'd love to hear what the secret is. Every story I've heard has them getting along as juvies and then killing each other as they get older until there is one left.
Hey Matt,how about a group of Royal Grammas?Thanks



lapsan
 
Hey Lap,

They are found in the wild in groups of one or two males to several females. Unfortunately, they usually try to murder each other in captivity. It's no accident that wholesalers always keep them in deli cups or each to their own cube.

I kept a pair of royal grammas before in a large tank like yours for many years--they hung out together in a cave and were very large, nearly 3". I wish I could tell you how they were paired, but I started taking care of the tank several years after it was set up. Unfortunately Royal Grammas are NOT like clownfish--you cannot just put any two juveniles together and be assured of a male-female pair because their sex is determined at conception and they are not hermaphrodites. Likewise, there is no clear way to tell the difference between a male and a female. Even if you do get a male and a female, there is no assurance they wouldn't just kill each other anyway.

You might try adding 2 juveniles to your tank and crossing your fingers. I've heard that adding a large one and a small one can help, but you are still rolling the dice as far as selecting a male and a female that will get along.
 
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