Posted by gerard on October 16, 2008 under Saltwater Fish | 
The Copperband Butterflyfish, Chelmon rostratus, also commonly called the Beak Coralfish, is found in reefs in both the Pacific and Indian Oceans. This butterflyfish is one of the three species in the genus Chelmon, all being known for having longer beaks.
In the aquarium
Copperband butterflyfish can grow to 8 inches (20 cm) but in a home aquarium are usually found at half that size.[citation needed] They do well at a normal reef temperature range of 75 to 84 °F (24 to 29 °C), with a tank size of at least 75 gallons[vague] with lots of live rock to graze on. This species is not reef safe. It will eat many invertebrates, including parasitic forms such as Calliactis parasitica (Parasitic anemone).
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Posted by gerard on October 11, 2008 under Saltwater Fish |
The mandarinfish or mandarin dragonet, is a small, brightly-colored member of the dragonet family, popular in the saltwater aquarium trade. The mandarinfish is native to the Western Pacific, ranging approximately from the Ryukyu Islands south to Australia. It is also somewhat misleadingly known as the mandarin goby, due to its resemblance to blennies and gobies. Other trade names include “green mandarinfish”, “striped mandarinfish”, or “psychedelic fish”. The name psychedelic mandarin is also used for a closely related species, the picturesque dragonet, Synchiropus picturatus.
Mandarinfish are reef dwellers, preferring sheltered lagoons and inshore reefs. While they are slow-moving and fairly common within their range, they are not easily seen due to their bottom-feeding habit and their small size (reaching only about 6 cm). They feed primarily on small crustaceans and other invertebrates. The name of the mandarinfish comes from its extremely vivid coloration, evoking the robes of an Imperial Chinese mandarin.
Despite their popularity in the aquarium trade, mandarinfish are considered difficult to keep, as their feeding habits are very specific. Some fish never adapt to aquarium life, refusing to eat anything but live amphipods and copepods (as in the wild), though individuals that do acclimatize to aquarium food are considered to be quite hardy and highly resistant to diseases such as ich. They can not contract the disease Ichthyophthirius because they do not have the skin type that this common aquarium disease affects.
The similarly named mandarin fish, Siniperca chuatsi, properly known as the Chinese perch, is only distantly related.
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Tags: aquarium, aquariums, blenny, fish, Goby, Green Mandarin, marine Saltwater Fish, Nano Reef, reef, reef dwellers, saltwater, tank
Posted by gerard on October 2, 2008 under Saltwater Fish |
The Yellow Tang is one of the most recognizable saltwater fish available. They are bright yellow in color and do very well in either reef tanks or fish only tanks. They can be kept either alone or in groups of 3. They are voracious algae eaters.
They are very easy to care for and their diet can consist of pellets, flakes, or greens. I have seen these fish in smaller tanks but would probably do better in 50 gallons or more.
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