Wrasse Resort

[Mschmidt]

Yes, the one on the left in the first picture is Chaetodon auriga or Auriga/Threadfin butterflyfish. They are beautiful and one of the most hardy butterflyfish, though still not really a beginner fish in my opinion.
Both of my butterflyfish are not reef-safe, as they will eat corals, but neither has proved problematic with my toadstool (Sarcophyton) soft corals. I will be testing these butterflyfish with some hardy "invasive" corals in my work tank in the near future, such as xenia, zoas, GSP, mushrooms, etc. that all could potentially be consumed by butterflyfish (hence one main reason I want easy "invasive" corals).

Small anemones are great food for butterflyfish, so they will definitely help keep you tank free of Aiptasia.
When I added the ocean live rock to my work tank after the recent upgrade, I picked one of the pieces because it had a nice 3/8" lightbulb anemone that I liked. After adding it to the tank, I observed it moving to a nice prominently-viewable position before it disappeared... it dawned on me later that I prompted its demise putting it in a tank with a butterflyfish. Almost certainly, it was consumed by my Auriga butterflyfish.

In the future, I may be starting an intentional Aiptasia tank for butterflyfish food.

I had another angel from my 75 die, so that tank came down the other day. the remaining fish, who seem to be doing great, are in a 40 in my office and the 75 is outside waiting to get cleaned. That means I have an empty 75 and ideas are flowing. convo today with the mrs is going like this:
"what about a saltwater butterfly fish aquarium in the 75?"
- instead of the freshwater?
- yeah, a thought experiment. we'd do fresh too, just haven't solved that yet.
- I'm excited to hear your ideas for the tanks. This move is making more adjustments than I anticipated but working toward a cohesion in the living room I really like.
- I send her three links to LA butterflies (pearlscale, auriga, and raccoon)
- her: they are (pretty) with a wide veriety too. not coral safe so it would be a different look than the 120.

so that's not a "no".

I'd love to have a big fowlr full of butterflies and angels. My favorite butterfly is the latticed - Chaetodon rafflesii. And my favorite angel is the rock beauty - Holacanthus tricolor. Of course it would also have a wrasse or two. A bird wrasse and an aussie tusk. Ah maybe someday.

I'd love to have four displays, all about the same size. fowler, reef, fw planted, and freshwater dish only.

 

[Soren]

I'd love to have a big fowlr full of butterflies and angels. My favorite butterfly is the latticed - Chaetodon rafflesii. And my favorite angel is the rock beauty - Holacanthus tricolor. Of course it would also have a wrasse or two. A bird wrasse and an aussie tusk. Ah maybe someday.

My plan right now is to get my 125-125 build finished (hopefully somewhat soon!) and move the fish from my 75-75 QT system into the tank, then use the 75-75 system for snowflake eels and butterflyfish (when the butterflies get too large for the Work Desk 40B, that is, since I'd rather keep them viewable at work as long as possible!).

There are too many butterflies that I like, so I'll leave it at dreams for a 300+ gallon FOWLR that probably will never happen, but still fun to dream.
I may add a couple other butterflyfish and maybe some angelfish if I upgrade my 75-75 system to a 125g or larger in the future. I have unending dreams...

Chaetodon rafflesii is another beauty! Holocanthus tricolor is beautiful as well, though my favorite angelfish is Blue-girdled (Pomacanthus navarchus) with Emperor (Pomacanthus imperator) as close second.

 

[crusso1993]

I had another angel from my 75 die, so that tank came down the other day. the remaining fish, who seem to be doing great, are in a 40 in my office and the 75 is outside waiting to get cleaned. That means I have an empty 75 and ideas are flowing. convo today with the mrs is going like this:
"what about a saltwater butterfly fish aquarium in the 75?"
- instead of the freshwater?
- yeah, a thought experiment. we'd do fresh too, just haven't solved that yet.
- I'm excited to hear your ideas for the tanks. This move is making more adjustments than I anticipated but working toward a cohesion in the living room I really like.
- I send her three links to LA butterflies (pearlscale, auriga, and raccoon)
- her: they are (pretty) with a wide veriety too. not coral safe so it would be a different look than the 120.

so that's not a "no".


I'd love to have four displays, all about the same size. fowler, reef, fw planted, and freshwater dish only.

Sounds like the beginnings of a win!

 

[SaltyT]

I'd love to have four displays, all about the same size. fowler, reef, fw planted, and freshwater dish only.

Oh me too! I have 4 displays now, but they're all on the small side. If I had the room I'd setup a planted discus tank and enlarge my current FW tank. I don't mind the sizes of my current SW tanks, but I'd definitely go big with a fowlr!

 

[Soren]

I had another angel from my 75 die, so that tank came down the other day. the remaining fish, who seem to be doing great, are in a 40 in my office and the 75 is outside waiting to get cleaned. That means I have an empty 75 and ideas are flowing. convo today with the mrs is going like this:
"what about a saltwater butterfly fish aquarium in the 75?"
- instead of the freshwater?
- yeah, a thought experiment. we'd do fresh too, just haven't solved that yet.
- I'm excited to hear your ideas for the tanks. This move is making more adjustments than I anticipated but working toward a cohesion in the living room I really like.
- I send her three links to LA butterflies (pearlscale, auriga, and raccoon)
- her: they are (pretty) with a wide veriety too. not coral safe so it would be a different look than the 120.

so that's not a "no".


I'd love to have four displays, all about the same size. fowler, reef, fw planted, and freshwater dish only.

Great, though a 75 is probably on the small side for butterflyfish in the long-term.
Raccoon (Chaetodon lunula), Auriga (Chaetodon auriga), and Pearlscale (Chaetodon xanthurus) all would be good options for quite a while in a 75g if acquired at a small-medium size.

In my 75g QT, I had a Merten's butterfly (Chaetodon mertensii) similar to pearlscale that was around 4" long. It died suddenly one evening. The only identifiable cause was the possibility of shock/heart-attack.

I am very interested in your butterflyfish tank if you and mrs can agree!

 

[SaltyT]

My plan right now is to get my 125-125 build finished (hopefully somewhat soon!) and move the fish from my 75-75 QT system into the tank, then use the 75-75 system for snowflake eels and butterflyfish (when the butterflies get too large for the Work Desk 40B, that is, since I'd rather keep them viewable at work as long as possible!).

There are too many butterflies that I like, so I'll leave it at dreams for a 300+ gallon FOWLR that probably will never happen, but still fun to dream.
I may add a couple other butterflyfish and maybe some angelfish if I upgrade my 75-75 system to a 125g or larger in the future. I have unending dreams...

Chaetodon rafflesii is another beauty! Holocanthus tricolor is beautiful as well, though my favorite angelfish is Blue-girdled (Pomacanthus navarchus) with Emperor (Pomacanthus imperator) as close second.

Pomacanthus navarchus is one of my favs too!

Nothing wrong with having unending dreams. I'm excited to see everyone's butterfly tanks!

 

[Slocke]

My FOWLR is no longer a FOWLR but so far it works! Got my favorite butterfly and angel too:

 

[SaltyT]

My FOWLR is no longer a FOWLR but so far it works! Got my favorite butterfly and angel too:

Nice! I like the idea of adding GSP for some movement.

 

[Soren]

Nice! I like the idea of adding GSP for some movement.

I am particularly fond of the "grass lawn" look that large GSP mats produce, especially when they "wave in the breeze".

 

[SaltyT]

I am particularly fond of the "grass lawn" look that large GSP mats produce, especially when they "wave in the breeze".

I agree! I guess most fish don't eat GSP? I don't think I've ever heard of anything eating it other than a nudibranch.

 

[Mschmidt]

Sounds like the beginnings of a win!

Great, though a 75 is probably on the small side for butterflyfish in the long-term.
Raccoon (Chaetodon lunula), Auriga (Chaetodon auriga), and Pearlscale (Chaetodon xanthurus) all would be good options for quite a while in a 75g if acquired at a small-medium size.

In my 75g QT, I had a Merten's butterfly (Chaetodon mertensii) similar to pearlscale that was around 4" long. It died suddenly one evening. The only identifiable cause was the possibility of shock/heart-attack.

I am very interested in your butterflyfish tank if you and mrs can agree!

It might stay a dream for a while. My house is small and adding another tank, especially over 100 gallons probably isn't in the stars. Just gotta get a new job that pays better, new house with more room, then we can get running on 1k gallons of water in the living room.

 

[Soren]

It might stay a dream for a while. My house is small and adding another tank, especially over 100 gallons probably isn't in the stars. Just gotta get a new job that pays better, new house with more room, then we can get running on 1k gallons of water in the living room.

My own house in the country with a dedicated basement fish room and enough income for some to be disposable have definitely been the primary contributions to my onset of MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome), as well as enabling endless dreams.

In your case, I recommend getting the 75 set up for some small butterflyfish and getting a bigger house and better job in the next few years as they grow to justify the upgrade to a larger tank!

 

[i cant think]

I agree! I guess most fish don't eat GSP? I don't think I've ever heard of anything eating it other than a nudibranch.

My Aquilonastra stars shredded my Branching GSP…
And if anyone thinks they have an outbreak of them just wait until you have your tank looking like this on the daily;

 

[Mschmidt]

My own house in the country with a dedicated basement fish room and enough income for some to be disposable have definitely been the primary contributions to my onset of MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome), as well as enabling endless dreams.

disposable enough to cover a class for me next semester?

my multiple tanks are from nano freshwater. decreasing in number though. I still want a rack of 6-gallon cubes each with a different scape.

In your case, I recommend getting the 75 set up for some small butterflyfish and getting a bigger house and better job in the next few years as they grow to justify the upgrade to a larger tank!

If the remaining angels from the freshwater and the other fish can find a home, I'd give it a strong maybe.
Better job and bigger house are in the works. probably when I finish school. you hiring? I do ethics things.

 

[SaltyT]

My Aquilonastra stars shredded my Branching GSP…
And if anyone thinks they have an outbreak of them just wait until you have your tank looking like this on the daily;

Your stars ate your GSP? Interesting. I have those stupid things in my tank, too. I'd like to get rid of them, but not sure if a harlequin shrimp would survive my wrasses.

 

[i cant think]

Your stars ate your GSP? Interesting. I have those stupid things in my tank, too. I'd like to get rid of them, but not sure if a harlequin shrimp would survive my wrasses.

That’s the issue I’m facing as well, I don’t know how likely my iridis is to take out a harlequin.

 

[Petcrazyson]

I had another angel from my 75 die, so that tank came down the other day. the remaining fish, who seem to be doing great, are in a 40 in my office and the 75 is outside waiting to get cleaned. That means I have an empty 75 and ideas are flowing. convo today with the mrs is going like this:
"what about a saltwater butterfly fish aquarium in the 75?"
- instead of the freshwater?
- yeah, a thought experiment. we'd do fresh too, just haven't solved that yet.
- I'm excited to hear your ideas for the tanks. This move is making more adjustments than I anticipated but working toward a cohesion in the living room I really like.
- I send her three links to LA butterflies (pearlscale, auriga, and raccoon)
- her: they are (pretty) with a wide veriety too. not coral safe so it would be a different look than the 120.

so that's not a "no".


I'd love to have four displays, all about the same size. fowler, reef, fw planted, and freshwater dish only.

Maybe too small in the long term but if you do want butterfly’s then consider the trifasciatus they are my favorite butterfly. Or maybe a bennetti?

 

[Soren]

disposable enough to cover a class for me next semester?

Sure, I'll add that to the bottom of the list after all my other hobbies that use disposable income.
Once I have them all paid off through the endless dreams over the next 1,000 years, I'll send the extra disposable income your way!
...seriously, I am never bored and rather have to limit my interests with reasonable budgeting even though I have significantly more income than required for basic living expenses right now.

my multiple tanks are from nano freshwater. decreasing in number though. I still want a rack of 6-gallon cubes each with a different scape.

Racks of small tanks with different aquascapes are wonderful, in my opinion! After discovering they are likely too difficult to manage as SW QT's, I have six 5.5g tanks to set up for small (likely FW) systems together on a rack.

you hiring? I do ethics things.

Ha, no, I am decidedly not a manager or business owner! ...though I am interested in ethics things, as you are probably already aware!

 

[Soren]

Maybe too small in the long term but if you do want butterfly’s then consider the trifasciatus they are my favorite butterfly. Or maybe a bennetti?

Pfft, maybe if you want hard-to-keep, expensive corallivores!
Both of those are beautiful, but are not good recommendations for someone just starting with butterflyfish!
I'd stick with the more common/less expensive/more hardy options that more readily eat prepared foods, like the ones previously menitoned.

 

[SaltyT]

Racks of small tanks with different aquascapes are wonderful, in my opinion! After discovering they are likely too difficult to manage as SW QT's, I have six 5.5g tanks to set up for small (likely FW) systems together on a rack.

What would you put in the 5.5g FW tanks? I've seen some neat shrimp displays at one of my LFS. I had no idea there were so many species of FW shrimp available these days.