Longnose Butterfly- not reef safe?

[ohsweetmadness]

I've heard a mix of things about the Forcipiger longirostris some websites say it's not reef safe, some say it is. I searched on here, but there's not too many threads about them. One that said it wasn't clam safe... I just think they're pretty and they seem to be hardier then a CBB.

Anyone have any suggestions/experiences?

TIA

(I have a 90g mixed reef- mostly softies.)

 

[rusty18]

I had one for a few months about a year ago. Just stopped eating one day, was pretty weird, they can be finicky eaters like the CBB. Any fish with the long nose like that can be "tougher" to keep, but some do better then others.

 

[RayD]

According to " Pocket Expert Guide" which I use as reference all the time it says that the Forcipiger longirostris is "excellent" as far as reef compatibility and are "Moderately hardy, with most individuals acclimating to the home aquarium if special care is provided."

I have no personal experience with these fish but others have told they're hit or miss on the reef safe thing and not so easy to get eating prepared.

YMMV.

 

[Mr.HaHa]

i had a yellow longnose in my old 50g (mixed reef) and had no issues with clam picking, sps nipping etc.

mine was very hard until i dominated him in a tank transfer.

 

[ohsweetmadness]

thanks for the responses... i just love the shape and was wondering why I haven't seen them in more tanks- usually that means not reef safe

 

[frank180reef]

HI
I have had a few, they are fairly hardy, better than CBB. It did eat my 2 clams

 

[AbbeyRoad]

I have had a long nose butterfly and copperband. I had the shorter nose of the two long nose butterflies. I got it from Pyrojon who had it in captivity for a while before trying clams. It ate clams, so i adopted it. It lived a long, reef safe, healthy life until i had power failure on my vacation. He was a great fish, he taught my stuborn foxface to eat flake. I never had issues and i had everything except clams.

The copperband was from AA, it was there a few months hiding after a trade in before i bought him. He was great- never had issues even with a clam. He did eat featherdusters like mad though. He lived a long time until i moved out and he didn't get fed as often and disappeared.

The key - as with most animals- is to get a healthy one. A freshly shipped one will more likely do poorly than the ones already in tanks.

I know someone who wanted the longer nosed butterfly, tried many times but they kept dying after a few weeks. She then got one that lasted a few months... Mine had lived over 5 years, so it can be done.

 

[grundig5]

I had a yellow longnose for about 2 months. When I got it, it wouldnt eat anything and was pretty unhealthy looking but I persevered and eventually got it eating mysis. A word of caution, these fish are extremely sensitive to O2 deprivation. My power went out somewhere around 3-4 hours one day and the poor fish was gone by the time it came back. I did not have a battery backup airpump but I do now. Make sure you have something!