Longnose Butterfly

Jeremy Blaze · #1 07/07/2004, 08:41 PM

Forcipier flavissimus. Anyone had one? In a reef? Any problems? Anyone ever seen one eat Aptasia?

Peter Schmiedel · #2 07/08/2004, 01:51 AM

F. flavissimus will not eat Aptasia! With this exception they are to keep the same as an Chelmon. Including the sometime bad survival rate! In general this fish is reef safe.

BTW, you mention long nose butterfly but indicate F.flavissimus. The long nose is F.longirostris and this one is much harder to keep and (at least here) almost never to get.

Paul B · #3 07/08/2004, 05:24 AM

I have always kept long nose butterflys in my reef and I do not find any problems with them except that I can't keep them as long as most fish. Most of my fish live over ten years but long nose and copperbands only last a few years. It may be just my tank but they seem to die for no known cause..
Paul

Tarasco1 · #4 07/08/2004, 06:05 PM

I have one, he's great. He didn't touch aiptasia, though. I wouldn't have it in anything less than 55 gallons. Hasn't touched any of my corals, but I have mainly softies and LPS. A cool, active fish. He did eat all my small featherdusters, though. He'll eat just about anything I put in the tank, including flake food.

Ravenlegs · #5 07/09/2004, 01:03 AM

I just bought a young one yesterday from dare I say it Petco I know , I know , But I got this guy right out of packing box there store here has a bad rep of spreading Ich like wild fire.

Pretty much I was stuck on a additional fish for my 90 reef the coral band was my first choice then upon reading some stuff about Butterflys from B Fenner I was stuck on a Yellow nosed B where I lived I Knew I would never see one here in my lifetime.

However well careful of what you wish for eh? There it was and it seems to be doing fine I have been intently watching it but you know I think in some terms we should all learn to adjust our reefs to the fish and not the fish to the reef and I think more satisfaction will be had that way.

R.

PS Hey Paul B so you swear by em pretty much then as being Reef Safe in your opinion and experience eh?

Paul B · #6 07/09/2004, 04:38 AM

Yes, I have had them over twenty five years and never had a reef related problem. I have never seen them hurt coral but like I said, I can't keep them for more than a couple of years but it may just be me.
Paul

Ravenlegs · #7 07/09/2004, 07:09 AM

Well thanks for the response there are those fish that are said to be short lived. I just wonder if the ynb are like that.

Ever since I got into the reef thing I seem to gravitate to challenges. What I have found interesting about my guy was watching him learning last night that I am the guy the drops the food what I noticed is that he tried eat from the water colum at times he would try 5 to 6 times to catch one frozen brine shrimp and kept missing.

Right away putting two and two together I was glad that I am over stocked with mysis pod, ect. So do they get better at catching food floating down then?

If not I can only see the extra food clean up from droped food really a benefit to my Reef.

R

Dave Pacek · #8 07/09/2004, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ravenlegs
... what I noticed is that he tried eat from the water colum at times he would try 5 to 6 times to catch one frozen brine shrimp and kept missing.
R

My new longnose went into the tank about a month ago. I saw exactly the same feeding behavior for the first week or so... making motions toward the food, but never actually eating. Since that initial week, he's been gobbling down food like an aquatic pig.

Dave P

Ravenlegs · #9 07/09/2004, 03:50 PM

Very kewl mine just starting making contact as well I can handle alot reef wise as far as my own mistakes but starving a fish is something I dont handle well.

Mines seems to be making rather agressive friends with my Yellow Tang they remind me of high school jocks always challenging each other there not really hurting each other its more of a Macho show of whos D Man.

Or whos D Fish! lol

R.

Ravenlegs · #10 07/09/2004, 03:50 PM

Very kewl mine just starting making contact as well I can handle alot reef wise as far as my own mistakes but starving a fish is something I dont handle well.

Mines seems to be making rather agressive friends with my Yellow Tang they remind me of high school jocks always challenging each other there not really hurting each other its more of a Macho show of whos D Man.

Or whos D Fish! lol

R.

Tarasco1 · #11 07/09/2004, 06:22 PM

Mine doesn't get along with my hippo tang. The hippo is always trying to assert dominance. The butterfly is the second largest fish in the tank, behind the hippo, and I don't think the hippo likes it.

VolitanLioness · #12 07/10/2004, 07:33 AM

I did have one but found it a new home, mine did eat prepared foods.
He also liked eating inverts including my stars, but never touched corals. I would also get mine a sponge to eat, he would nip away at the sponges. I would go into a LFS see a sponge that looked like it hit the air and buy if from them cheap.

Kaye

Ravenlegs · #13 07/10/2004, 09:07 AM

It seems that theres more postive experiences with ylnb than negative ones thank you those that shared there experiences I am not worried any more.

R

tonym10 · #14 07/19/2004, 02:49 PM

I have a Longnose Yellow Butterfly, only had it 1 week now , but he has not touched a coral, although he does pick at the large snails and my sandsifting starfish
But he is real fun to watch and compliments my tang nicely.

Flame*Angel · #15 07/20/2004, 07:36 PM

Great picture tonym10!

Ravenlegs · #16 07/22/2004, 07:24 AM

Oh man excellent picture so is your Tang a Yellow then?

I have not had any probs this week with any coral eating what so ever however I can report those tiny feather duster worms he has or she has gotten quit a few of them allready. Thats not a problem because I was over run with them anyway.

My big problem is last week I discovered a touch of Ich on my YNB it has not seemed to bother him so much his appetite has been good I have observed no scratching at all.

Any opinions I have decided not to pull him out as yet its now been two weeks my other fish look ok but I am very concerned on pulling him treating it and possible making it even worse.

So I welcome any comments and yep should have quarantened but I did not.

R.

Ravenlegs · #17 07/22/2004, 07:30 AM

Oh man excellent picture so is your Tang a Yellow then?

I have not had any probs this week with any coral eating what so ever however I can report those tiny feather duster worms he has or she has gotten quit a few of them allready. Thats not a problem because I was over run with them anyway.

My big problem is last week I discovered a touch of Ich on my YNB it has not seemed to bother him so much his appetite has been good I have observed no scratching at all.

Any opinions I have decided not to pull him out as yet its now been two weeks my other fish look ok but I am very concerned on pulling him treating it and possible making it even worse.

So I welcome any comments and yep should have quarantened but I did not.

R.

naka · #18 07/22/2004, 10:43 AM

Great picture Tony! What camera are you using?

tonym10 · #19 07/22/2004, 12:28 PM

Thanks , Nikon D100

Kent E · #20 12/25/2005, 12:25 AM

any updates on these fish?

bjolly · #21 12/25/2005, 01:22 AM

mine initially was very fussy about food - only would eat mysis shrimp and live black worms. He learned fast though, and now eats any food I put in the tank. I suspect that he eats aiptasias too. All I know is I used to have a generous sprinking of baby ones that I was constantly trying to kill, and since I've had the longnose, I never see aiptasias anymore.

he's been a good citizen so far and is a beautiful fish.

Paul B · #22 12/25/2005, 10:00 AM

Here is a picture I took of one in Tahiti.
The other picture is my friend Clemintine.
Paul

johnvu713 · #23 12/25/2005, 10:23 PM

Gosh!!!! That's a face only a mother can love
Very cute though

Kent E · #24 12/26/2005, 12:41 PM

I think we all want more responses from people having them longer than two years in a reef, so if you have had them that long please chime in. I guess if there are no responses than we know to avoid these fish.

sabodish · #25 12/26/2005, 01:55 PM

ive had one for about 6months, and it was a model citizen up until q week ago. it recently started picking at my geen bubble, and 2 meat corals. i have removed all 3 pieces to teh sump and i wil have to catch the fish. this should be fun in a 360 gallon tank.