Tips on Yellow Longnose Butterfly

[swebb]

I just found a 120-gallon tank for a very low price. I am checking it out this weekend to make sure it is not leaking. Anyways one of my favorite saltwater fish of all times is the yellow longnose butterfly. I have been looking into them and I have not found as much as I would have thought about a fairly iconic reef fish. From what I have read, they seem to either die right away or they can live for a fairly long time. I was wondering if anyone on here has experience, advice, or photos that they would like to share? At the moment I am using what I have found on copper band butterfly fish as a guide.

 

[KMench]

I’ve got one. He was pretty darn easy to get through QT and has been with me for about a year now. Eats like a pig. Ate my maxima clam. Friendly enough with all other fish and hasn’t bothered shrimp. I’ve seen him pick at snails a few times, but not bad enough to kill them. Very active swimmer in the tank and follows me when I walk past because he wants food

 

[KMench]

Oh, and he demolished all the feather dusters I had in my display also.

 

[swebb]

It a good thing I do not have feather dusters or clams in my tank then. Do you think a 120 gallon is large enough for one?

 

[4FordFamily]

It a good thing I do not have feather dusters or clams in my tank then. Do you think a 120 gallon is large enough for one?

It’s probably suitable.

 

[Triggreef]

I had one for a long time, they seem pretty easy. I second forget about clams and each one has their own personality and will find what they like. It may very well limit certain corals. I believe mine took a liking toward acans and scollies and that was the last straw for me. I had to find him a new home after that. But he was a cool fish. I had him with a copperband too, which I still have. The copperband will eat aptasia out of my hand. I'm not sure if the YLN ever ate any aptasia.

 

[kass03]

I've been in the hobby for over 40 years. Butterflies were always one of my favs also.
When I started I had a longnose for a long time in a fish only tank. Then when I got my reef I always heard they weren't reef safe so didn't try one until a cpl years ago. The first 2 I got died fairly quicky. Then I tried one more and it lived for 2 years and ate like a pig but was always kinda sickly looking. It didn't thrive like my other fish even though I fed frozen mysis and LRS food every day.
My local LFS said they quit getting them in because they just aren't as healthy anymore.
I really love the fish if I could find a healthy one I would get one again. I do have a copperband and it's doing great.

 

[KMench]

What’s your tank stocking like? Mine has not developed a taste for any corals that I have. LPS SPS or softies. I guess I’m lucky there. I would agree that you’re probably fine to get one. I read somewhere they are the “hummingbirds of the ocean” re butterflyfish so they need to eat often! My little buddy likes to swim a lot, I think he likes the high flow of my tank.

 

[Paul B]

I also have been keeping them since the 70s and are one of my favorites too. They are very similar to copperbands and eat the same food which in the sea is worms. I feed them, and copperbands worms and clams every day. They can eat quite a large amount for having such a small mouth but can't bite off big chunks of food very well although they try. I feed them clams with the worms which I buy fresh and freeze myself. They will eat so much clam that can't fit any more in their mouth. I shave off paper thin slices of frozen clam and they can suck down nice pieces like that.
I also spent a few hours with them in Bora Bora where I took this. Look at how long their snouts are there. That is to pick worms out of coral heads.

 

[KMench]

@Paul B I think those are actually F. longirostris whereas the ones we more commonly keep (like mine) are F. flavissimus.

 

[Paul B]

That is correct but they need the same care. Yours look a little thin.

 

[KMench]

Lol, I feed him and therefore everyone 3-4x a day. I think he would eat 20 times a day if I offered food that often I typically just feed frozen food and he loves mussels, krill, and mysis!

 

[swebb]

Thanks for all the responses

What’s your tank stocking like? Mine has not developed a taste for any corals that I have. LPS SPS or softies. I guess I’m lucky there. I would agree that you’re probably fine to get one. I read somewhere they are the “hummingbirds of the ocean” re butterflyfish so they need to eat often! My little buddy likes to swim a lot, I think he likes the high flow of my tank.

My current stocking is:
A green chromis
A Bartlett Anthias
A Red Lined Wrasse
A Grey Poma Angel (Reason why I am upgrading)
Coral wise
A small colony of zoas ~40 polyps
A softball piece of Kenya Tree Coral
2 Acropora frags that a well encrusted onto the rock (1cm off frag plug in all directions)
Invert wise
Cleaner Shrimp
Long Black Spined Urchin
A few snails and hermits

Lol, I feed him and therefore everyone 3-4x a day. I think he would eat 20 times a day if I offered food that often I typically just feed frozen food and he loves mussels, krill, and mysis!

I currently feed 2x per day Monday-Thursday, 1x per day Friday, continuously on the weekends. I feed either a frozen food for anglefish or frozen mysis shrimp. While feeding, I add the food in small increments so one feed lasts about 20 minutes.

 

[KMench]

I would guess you are fine with the stocking and feeding schedule. I won’t lie, I go to work for 24 hours and my fish don’t get fed for 24 hours lol. They survive just fine

 

[radiata]

Yellow Longnose Butterflies are hardier than Copperbands, just a little harder to find at the LFS.

 

[Triggreef]

it lived for 2 years and ate like a pig but was always kinda sickly looking. It didn't thrive like my other fish even though I fed frozen mysis and LRS food every day.

they need to eat often!

Often is good if you can, but the key is more. They get caught up sometimes with a piece of food too big for them, mean while the other fish are devouring everything else. Then they realize the chunk is too big, another fish grabs it from them, and by that time everything else is gone too. Thats the biggest problem.

To solve that you can find a frozen food thawer. Or use an acrylic container like I do. Guppy breeder box, or even a soap dish from home depot. Thats what I use and I magnet it to the side of the tank. Drop a chunk of frozen mysis in there and in time it will learn to stick its snout in the hole and find its food. This way the butterfly is the best one at getting to the food, and everyone else is just getting his left overs now.

 

[Reef_Hobbyist]

I love mine. Have had him for years. He is a delight to watch as he "hunts and pecks" all the nooks and crannies in the rocks. Feeding is key for this fish. He eats constantly but never looks "fat" like the rest of the fish.

Absolutely great fish !!!

 

[Steve Fast]

Agree on feeding butterflies well. I've never seen any pick at a coral nor found any damage to a coral. I feed mine finely chopped scallops, shrimp, squid, and fish mixed with Selcon and Boyd's Vita-chem. I then hang a mussel and clam on opposite ends of the tank attached to a mag clip so they have something to eat while I'm at work. They know when I enter the room and move to the corner to beg... rather endearing actually. They eat like I could when I was a teenager... hollow fin so to speak. I've never found a bristleworm since I put it in... definitely one of my favorites....

 

[Elliott ll]

Old thread, but, what do yall think about a pair? Since they're found in pairs in the wild would this help in aquarium setting?

 

[Zionas]

They do form pair bonds for life, but they don’t change sex the way angels and Clownfish and some others do. So I bet it wouldn’t be as easy because you’d have to pick two that turn out to be male and female. You can start small but don’t think that’s guaranteed to work due to their inability to change sex where the larger one becomes the male (and in the case of Clownfish, the female).