I have never considered butterfly fish since I have heard about their difficulties.
More so than the heni and the copperband but if you get a copperband that is eating then it is good also. My pyramids always ate well and were healthy. I lost due to velvet but lost the whole tank. Personable fish. Kind of expensive around 100$ not as common as yellow tang but very enjoyable fish. I really like the copperband if you could find one already eating and disease free. I have seen people keep multiple pyramid butterflies in one reef. I think tank recommended. I saw some reefers posted that they eat Xenia and 4fordfamily said once no butterfly is reef safe but I think this one is the most recommended for a reef. ca1core has a group of them in his reef. Some look dirty and some very stricking. Just another option for you. There’s an old thread on this fish you could read if you are considering it. The yellow fish sure are pretty in a reef. How about regal angel. Might be ok for your size, reef safe more than most and very very pretty.
After looking at them a bit they are really charming fish. I'll keep it on my short list. I tend to look for already established fish from my local reef club so I'll keep my eye open.
Cool! Let us know what your able to find. Do people give the fish away taking down tanks ? Or sell them? How does that work for you? There’s someone in wi trying to sell a bow system 360 gal tank and the fish but wants a ridiculous amount for the fish and not budging on price. Hasn’t sold any. I’m worried where his fish will go if he just gives up and takes the tank down. Has some really nice fish! Morrish Idiol even. I don’t really want or need anymore fish not enough room and working on some disease issues myself right now. Have a Sohal with hole in head ? Don’t know how that happened haven’t added new fish for over a year and just happened all of a sudden. Also have a harlequin tusk in quarantine from same tank with really bad fin rot also for no reason. Going to treat all fish with general cure in a 300gal tank
and tusk is getting furan and Prazipro. I would love a scribble angel and another regal- but probably won’t happen! If I do run into another pyramid butterfly and my quarantine is empty I would get on again. Have you asked 4fordfamily about the yellow? He’s a tang expert. Helped me a lot with my tang issues and his suggestions worked so far.
Hands-down, the Yellow Eyed Kole Tang. Read (search) other threads and you’ll see why so many people (myself included) have returned a Yellow Tang to the LFS, for a Kole Tang! Best wishes.
Doesn’t Hawaii want us to leave them in the ocean anyway? I guess I got lucky with mine. Is it a problem with other tangs or other fish in general? My Caribbean blue in the other hand is meaner than the Sohal!
Thanks for the Hawaii update, I’ve haven’t kept up much. Hearing a lot about naughty yellow tangs though. Sounds like you made a good choice for your tank. I’m realizing fish are very individual and have different personalities. So I guess we have to go on a case to case basis. Glad the LFS took it back.
The yellow eyed kole sounds like a really nice option for many people and many tanks! Good idea! I have a blue eyed kole and tomini in different tanks they didn’t like each other in a 300gal. Tomini went into a 93 cube. Which is working well.
Seems like that can be bullies. It's crazy how much more aggressive marine fish are than fresh.
It was actually the colorful fish that brought me to saltwater, not the corals. Lol
