Lemon's butterflyfish dominated reef

[yikai]

I'm so so so so happy i finally found a source for this fish.

Chaetodon paucifasciatus. Which has been almost unobtainable in the past few years for some unknown reason!

It's different from the others from indonesia with the orange back. this is a red sea and gulf of aden endemic.

the ones with the black spot on the red area are juveniles.

Holding my breath and hope they come in!

[Dispar_Anthias]

hotumatua cannot get now bah.

opercularis even if have are you willing to pay?

chrysogaster can get.

Have been seeking all these fishes for awhile.

The first two fishes, I do not think will ever arrive in SG thus in my wish list. I would pay for a Opercularis any day compared to a dejongi

[yikai]

Have been seeking all these fishes for awhile.

The first two fishes, I do not think will ever arrive in SG thus in my wish list. I would pay for a Opercularis any day compared to a dejongi

im just contented with my paucifasciatus.

what's the missing link? why have they gone unobtainable for the past few years?

why are they only coming in in ones or twos? they're very common in the wild.

these are some of the reasons that motivate me to get it even more! and it's the only member of the xanthurus complex to have a red patch and so isolated from all the others in the pacific ocean/indian ocean. it's from the red sea!

so amazing. i like the story behind the fish.

but you'll be surprised how much the price has risen over the years!

[yikai]

over the months i've been slowly fulfilling my original idea of my new tank. that is, to envision a fully functional healthy reef with multitude of non-reef safe fish. the aim is to make this vision come true, to see potentially unfriendly reef fish in a reef set up. and also to set an example that some misconceptions can be de-mythified.

i've changed my thread name to butterflyfish dominated reef. as essentially, that's what it is.

the following butterflies and angels now reside in my tank.

1x semeion butterfly (Chaetodon semeion)

1x declivis butterfly (C. declivis)

1x mitratus butterfly (C. mitratus)

1x longnosed butterfly (F. flavissimus)

1x speculated "koran X emperor juv" (P. semicirculatus X P. imperator)

1x spawning pair of flame angels (C. loricula)

it doesn't stop there. i started out with reef-safe butterflies like longnose, but slowly i'm getting more brazen by adding in completely un-reef safe butterflies like the semeion. it might work out wonderfully well, or bite me in the butt. but you know, in an SPS dominated tank, the damage done will always be minimal compared to LPS. i'm planning to add 2-3 more butterflies and that should max out my quota. and you bet your bottom dollar the new additions will not be reef safe! so far the semeion has been very well behaved

anyway a FTS to start the new month of march. well technically 1 day early but who is counting!

pardon the blurry washed out photos. the colouration of the corals and fish is MUCH better in real life. i just cannot capture the colours under these 12k bulbs... everything looks so blue and bleached. but this FTS is more of a progress report than a beauty shot. so it's ok that it's not the right colours.

[desideria]

looking good lemon... I WANNA SEE the anemone. I love bubble tips.. so fat and cute.. just wanna pinch.. I told ketchup the next time we do up a new setup in XXX years time, I'm gonna dedicate one space for anemones...

[yikai]

looking good lemon... I WANNA SEE the anemone. I love bubble tips.. so fat and cute.. just wanna pinch.. I told ketchup the next time we do up a new setup in XXX years time, I'm gonna dedicate one space for anemones...

the anemone. crawled into a crevice that's hard to photograph. never mind in due time.

you should set up an anemone corner. bubble tips do well together and they don't sting each other. just create a peninsula of BTA. that should be nice.

[vt_snowman87]

beautiful tank lemon! love that mitratus, even though im a fish-noob..

did somebody say "peninsula of BTA"???? its my new project.. hopefully will be successful and i can contribute some photos..

[yikai]

beautiful tank lemon! love that mitratus, even though im a fish-noob..

did somebody say "peninsula of BTA"???? its my new project.. hopefully will be successful and i can contribute some photos..

no need to be a fish pro to like mitratus!

i'm a noob at SPS but i like them alot haha.

the mitratus has grown quite abit since i first obtained it!

i hope to see your BTA peninsula too!

[yikai]

My lime green and sunset millie.

crazy polyp extension despite the butterflies nipping at the slime. did you know that most angels and butterflies cannot nip out the SPS polyps? they will try, maybe get a tentacle or two, but it's near impossible for them to extract the entire polyp. anyway polyp extension is not natural. in the wild, SPS stay retracted during the day.

[yikai]

dont we all love stags! my fav kind of SPS

[yikai]

my most precious coral in my tank.

an orange "true octo". orange true octo are super rareeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

found it in a regular LPS shipment. there's only one piece. the colour is more amazing in real life. this is the first time i've taken a picture of it becoz i always can't capture it's amazing orange colour.

anyway it's like orange hammer. some say brown, i say orange had it for many months and it's growing bigger.

[yikai]

maybe this pic is better?

there was a point in time where the colour faded quite abit due to bleaching. but it bounced right back! i've changed it's position now to somewhere shadier.

[Eniram]

Time to frag it! kidding

[yikai]

do you know it's almost impossible to find a bicolour fiji foxface at this size!?

it's only 2 inches and it's the smallest i've seen. this fish always come in 4-5 inches and it's so big and irritating.

small ones are almost impossible to get!

but i managed to find one! so happy

[yikai]

Semeion butterfly is now feeding like a pig after 1 week of training.

it's now ready to be released into the display tank.

[yikai]

everything is ok and in proper health.

i can leave for shanghai for 6 weeks in peace and hopefully nothing tragic happens

[wilsontantw]

Seems like u like impossible stuff. see nothing is impossible...

Anyway, have fun in shanghai. Is anyone monitoring ur tank while u r away? 6 weeks. That's a long long time.

[Digiman]

The first two fishes, I do not think will ever arrive in SG thus in my wish list. I would pay for a Opercularis any day compared to a dejongi

Hotumatua will arrive. It will if collection ever start again and places like LCK and CF will get offer and when it comes to angelfishes, they are v willing to bring it in.

Chrysogaster is v obtainable, dun even qualify to be in a "wish" list. In fact now they hav stocks, at least 5 pieces. PM M3morph if u wan to get them now.

The only unobtainable is B.Opercularis! I love the fish a lot and knowing it's so unobtainable, i'm satisfied with my cheap substitute, the terelabrus sp. from maldives. The true opercularis is extremely hard to get, the handful ever made it to Japan was from palau, mauritius and japan itself. That makes it unobtainable cos we are the last on the list when it comes to mauritius supply! Even flying to Japan also cannot get the fish cos they are not having enough for themselves! However there is a nicer variant of B.sepiacaudus which is quite close to the color of the true opercularis and it comes out from Marshall islands. I call it the fake opercularis and it is more obtainable and has came in before thru Iwarna hawaii shipment. Hope it'll come in again and u may like the fish.

do you know it's almost impossible to find a bicolour fiji foxface at this size!?

it's only 2 inches and it's the smallest i've seen. this fish always come in 4-5 inches and it's so big and irritating.

small ones are almost impossible to get!

but i managed to find one! so happy

So cute! Like a little mouse. U need to thank me, i played a part in spotting the fish

[yikai]

Hotumatua will arrive. It will if collection ever start again and places like LCK and CF will get offer and when it comes to angelfishes, they are v willing to bring it in.

Chrysogaster is v obtainable, dun even qualify to be in a "wish" list. In fact now they hav stocks, at least 5 pieces. PM M3morph if u wan to get them now.

The only unobtainable is B.Opercularis! I love the fish a lot and knowing it's so unobtainable, i'm satisfied with my cheap substitute, the terelabrus sp. from maldives. The true opercularis is extremely hard to get, the handful ever made it to Japan was from palau, mauritius and japan itself. That makes it unobtainable cos we are the last on the list when it comes to mauritius supply! Even flying to Japan also cannot get the fish cos they are not having enough for themselves! However there is a nicer variant of B.sepiacaudus which is quite close to the color of the true opercularis and it comes out from Marshall islands. I call it the fake opercularis and it is more obtainable and has came in before thru Iwarna hawaii shipment. Hope it'll come in again and u may like the fish.

So cute! Like a little mouse. U need to thank me, i played a part in spotting the fish

yah thank you LOL!

i can't believe i went there 1st time did not see! thanks thanks thanks

[Digiman]

yah thank you LOL!

i can't believe i went there 1st time did not see! thanks thanks thanks

U r so blinded by the hooded wrasse tat u did not see a 2" fiji foxface and also the two blackcap basslets!

It's a good buy knowing how much CF sell the giant one! I'll remember to help u pay Hua-Jie the next time i go LCK again.

[yikai]

U r so blinded by the hooded wrasse tat u did not see a 2" fiji foxface and also the two blackcap basslets!

It's a good buy knowing how much CF sell the giant one! I'll remember to help u pay Hua-Jie the next time i go LCK again.

Thanks again!

Yes im so happy with my small smithy butterfly substitute. The fish itself is not rare. But the size.. Is very rare

[bellinayu]

Hi lemon. How is yr chaoti doing? Still in holding tank?

[yikai]

Hi lemon. How is yr chaoti doing? Still in holding tank?

Died Liao. Give up with this species

[Terryz_]

do you know it's almost impossible to find a bicolour fiji foxface at this size!?

it's only 2 inches and it's the smallest i've seen. this fish always come in 4-5 inches and it's so big and irritating.

small ones are almost impossible to get!

but i managed to find one! so happy

I like, i guess that is the only small one bah... LOL...

[yikai]

I like, i guess that is the only small one bah... LOL...

yah!

this fish is not rare. but finding it at this size is wah...damn hard.