Great fish that get a bad rap

[davidcalgary29]

Let's hear about fish that have a terrible reputation in the reef aquarium...that you feel is undeserved! Tell anyone that you'd like an orchid dottyback, and the cautionary tales start popping up like aiptasia after you apply Aiptasia-X. But I've literally seen clownfish go for their keepers' hands, repeatedly, and they're in an awful lot of tanks. That bloodletting was one of the reasons I do not keep any clowns in mine.

1. Captive bred orchid dottybacks (in groups). I'm still waiting for the piscicidal behaviour to start, but I still haven't noticed any after nearly a year. I now have one lone orchid dottyback in a big tank, but it's fine to the other fish there, too. Marital squabbling is the only fighting that I've seen. And they're stunning fish.

2. Captive-bred Springeri's dottybacks. "Never get one!". "Only get one -- don't get a pair!". "They'll fight with everything!". They're just as personable as orchid dottybacks, and almost as beautiful.

3. Captive-bred lemon and sulphur damsels. I prefer the beautiful, clear yellow of the sulphur damsel, but they're impossible to source. I keep reading horror stories about these fish, but they've actually been fairly timid in my tanks.

4. Dwarf angels. Still haven't lost a coral -- frag or colony -- to them.

 

[hllb]

Well, I just added an orchid dottyback today so time will tell. He’s little and I don’t think he could do too much to the bigger fish anyway. Added a yellow tail damsel today too. I chose both of these because my tank has assertive fish and these are generally more personable specimens in their respective families.

I did have a Pygmy angel kill my trachy. Later he developed a taste for zoas so that’s where i drew the line. I replaced him with a flame angel though and knock on wood, good so far. He picks at stuff but doesn’t do damage.

 

[Bribo12]

I agree with dwarf angels! Instead I had a flame tail blenny that killed about $400 in clams…

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Springeri and Fridmani are two of my favorite small fish. When I kept them I Nvr had problems despite the stories. They would pop in and out of the rock work and feed. And they were very curious and cautious.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

This could be a great discussion! Let's get some more input!

 

[Ghost25]

Only bad experiences with dottybacks (purple and ORA orchid). But I'll stick to the question.

I love my yellow clown goby. A lot of people complain that they pick at coral polyps. I've seen them do that a little bit, they certainly like to sit on corals. But overall they don't irritate them that much and I've never seen them properly eat a coral just nip at it occasionally. Bright yellow, not aggressive, fun to watch.

 

[ReeferSamster]

Let's hear about fish that have a terrible reputation in the reef aquarium...that you feel is undeserved!

This might be controversial:
Copperband butterfly! Just hear me out. Please.

Assuming you get one that is not beyond hope. (But this goes with most all specimens, coral or fish. Although I know that alot of copperbands can arrive at the LFS beyond hope.)

Copperbands get a bad rep for being hard to feed and eventual doom. But if you get one in semi-salvagable state, TRUST ME. BLACKWORMS.

I have experience with fattening up about 2 dozen Copperband butterflies (and other fish) in a span of 10 years helping the petland store acclimate poor arrivals in trade for free cat food. I felt like a volunteer in a dog/cat shelter. Lol!

They will squiggle around for at least 20 seconds while they drift down, and if the copperband notices it, he will be interested. He will peck at it. He will love it. They will still squiggle around when they land for a bit. I know copperbands aren't used to picking at food in the water column (but trust me, once your copperband is well established, he will be a master water column feeder...)

I have gotten Petland discounts store in my neighborhood (back in the day) to fatten up newly arrived Copperbands as well as other poorly shipped fish. For some reason, this branch sold live blackworms shipped from Cali for about 10 years before they shut down. But they never thought to feed their new salt water inhabitants blackworms. I made a suggestion and showed them what blackworms can do for struggling new arrivals.

Willie the Copperband in my youtube video is from that store! Luckily he was in decent condition and when I tried literally EVERY FOOD for him when I first got him, he was instantly gorging on blackworms.

The disposable plastic pipette is key in aiming blackworms in the copperbands direction, even if the fish is shy and scared and running away from everything, hiding in the corner.

TLDR:

1) Copperband butterfly fish are known to die due to inability to get nutrition. Get one that is at least swimming normally. Even a specimen with a concave belly has hope, as long as it is showing normal swimming behaviour.
2) Buy disposable pipettes. Get some live blackworms.
3) Spend 3 straight days concentrating on blowing live blackworms without scaring the poor fish in a QT tank. Blow above him so the blackworms slowly descend in its general direction, while they are squiggling madly along the way.
4) Using modified pavlovs conditioning, the copperband will also eventually eat frozen/freezedried tubifex and bloodworms (bloodworms are like candy). High probability is mysis shrimp. I have NEVER seen copperbands eat flake. If they get tricked into eating some from a mixed pipette of blackworms and flake, they will spit the flake food out.

Copperband + Blackworms = Success.

I promise you, after that. Copperbands are almost as hardy as damselfish as long as normal water parameters are OK and there were no parasites or disease.

 

[HB AL]

Triggers

 

[jdiefenbaugh]

Raccoon and false falcula butterflyfish. I've kept several in mixed reefs, and they were great fish. Much more hardy than a CBB for aiptasia control, and won't bother most corals.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Harlequin filefish are reef safe. Just not frag safe.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Damsels underrated, specifically chrysiptera damsels. These are less aggressive than the average clownfish or tang.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

My Starkii is a great fish. Aussie sourced.

 

[Noxsolaris]

Not sure if they have a bad rep in reef tanks, but I have some speckled mollies in mine. I almost consider them as part of my CUC at this point. They eat almost constantly. If they aren’t pecking at algae on the glass, then they are cleaning the rocks or sand. If not any of those, they are skimming the surface. One got curious about my BTA, but promptly learned the error of its ways. Other than that, model citizens.

 

[Lavey29]

Damsels underrated, specifically chrysiptera damsels. These are less aggressive than the average clownfish or tang.

Some how I figured you would pick a damsel

 

[hllb]

I added an orchid dottyback recently and so far I love him. That may change but he is super personable and beautiful.
I also have a perfectly nice six line. My tank tends to the assertive side but also houses a clown goby and firefish and everyone gets along. My clown is the most belligerent.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

My Starkii is a great fish. Aussie sourced.

 

[davidcalgary29]

I also have a perfectly nice six line.

Wow, I've never heard of that before, although certainly bad behaviour must be relatively rare overall, as so many people keep them.

 

[hllb]

Boy, he looks like a flameback angel!

 

[hllb]

Wow, I've never heard of that before, although certainly bad behaviour must be relatively rare overall, as so many people keep them.

I am aware he could change at any moment, but I’ve had him almost a year and a half. I’ve added new fish and he only half heartedly chased my dottyback a few times and then left him alone. My clown and angel are the ones that like to assert their dominance but they settle down quickly.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Boy, he looks like a flameback angel!

Since my lps are numerous and valued had to go w the doppelgänger