Attn:Those with Auriga/Threadfin butterfly in reef

[Gary Majchrzak]

I have maintained a copperband b/f for 18 months in my 220-it's doing great and keeping Aiptasia in check.I would like to hear from those maintaining a reef with a Threadfin/Auriga butterflyfish.What,if any,corals does he bother?How long have you maintained the fish? Does he eat Aiptasia? Were you unable to keep this species alive in your system for any length of time? Any and all input from those with FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE is welcome.Thanks, Gary

[Gary Majchrzak]

We placed a Threadfin butterflyfish in a well established reef system OVERGROWN with aiptasia last week.It IMMEDIATELY began to mow down the plague.All corals in this system are aquacultured frags of the corals from my 220,so if he does attack them ,nothing is irreplaceable.The species of coral in the system are Sarcophyton{guarded by host A. percula's},Discosoma,Rhodactis,Protopalythoa,as well as MANY featherdusters that grew on the rock,which I would think to be a prime target.So far aiptasia is the ONLY one of these inverts being slurped up.....although I could find great use for a fish in my SPS system that would eat plague shrooms,star polyps, and stoloniferins as well as aiptasia.We have not yet tempted the fish with an acro snack....it's hard to believe that nobody else attempted this fish for aiptasia removal in a reef system. :rolleye1:

[Gary Majchrzak]

For anyone interested....It took 1 week and 3 days to clear a 75 gallon reef with a heavy aiptasia infestation. All the cleanup was performed by a medium sized Auriga/Threadfin butterflyfish. He also consumed mass quantities of featherduster worms- the small white 'cluster-duster 'type. We are monitoring the fish to see if it moves onto eating other desirable inverts. Please post with any' butterflyfish in the reef' experiences you have had.

[hcs3]

hi gary

i kept a threadfin in my reef for roughly 3 months. it quickly devoured all of the small aiptasia. however, once the fish was removed many of the aiptasias made a rebound.

the fish was kept with many species of soft corals. it never bothered any.

HTH

henry

[elbori]

hcs3
Did you have any xenia in the tank?
Thanks,
Alberto

[hcs3]

no

[BrianD]

The threadfin is a WONDERFUL fish for aiptasia control. I happen to be very familiar with the particular threadfin Henry had, and he willingly moves from tank to tank as an aiptasia removal service.

Perhaps adding several berghia nudibranches to the tank after the aiptasia is under control would be helpful.


Brian

[Macimage]

BrianD,

The berghia will die after all the aiptasia are gone. If the threadfin has removed most of the aiptasia, the berghia will be very short lived.

Joyce

[BrianD]

Joyce,

Is this from personal experience? I put the threadfin Henry is talking about in my 180 (which was infested with aiptasia). Once the threadfin had cleaned out the tank of the visible aiptasia, I dumped about 10 berghia nudibranches. Even though there wasn't a visible aiptasia infestation, a few months later when I moved the tank I found several fat berghias in the tank. Evidently the tissues left behind by the threadfin were enough to sustain the berghia, and with a large tank I doubt the aiptasia would ever be totally eradicated.

In any case, why does it matter if the berghia die after the aiptasia is gone? Isn't our goal to remove aiptasia, not raise berghias? :)

Brian

[Macimage]

Yes, I raised berghia for most of last year. It was really difficult finding enough food for them; they are voracious eaters. After releasing 10 berghia in your tank, depending on the length of time they were in there, you should have found at Least those 10, plus numerous off-spring, not just several.

I find it odd that reefers that care about providing the proper and best environment for their fish & corals, don't care about killing these animals.

Why not just add fish to your tank that don't live in captivity and enjoy them swimming around until they die?? Unfortunately, that is what many uninformed aquarists do. The nice thing (usually) about these boards is that most of us do try to provide optimum environments for these ocean critters that are in our care.

Joyce

[BrianD]

Sorry Joyce, I don't quite put bugs in the same category as fish. I think you are a little overboard here.

Brian

[Macimage]

Many don't put fish in the same catagory as their other pets; they could care less if they die. I guess they probably think that we all are "a little overboard" about our fish. Actually berghia are not bugs but if it helps your conscience, then you can think of them as such.

Joyce

[BrianD]

Berghias in tank = aiptasai control

You make the call :)

Brian