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View Full Version : Raccoon butterfly advice?


Delphinus
04-03-2009, 05:32 AM
I'm considering a raccoon butterfly for majano control. (Manual removal is not working.) I already have a CBB, he's eradicated the tank of aiptasia but will not touch the majano. The majanos are becoming a quantifiable problem to the clams, so it's time to step it up a bit.

Doing some reading, it seems C. ulietensis (false falcula) and C. lunula (raccoon) are possible majano munchers. I am so far unable to obtain ulietensis, but lunula seems readily available.

What is the largest risk item for this fish (raccoon) in a reef? I'm OK if things like GSP, clove polyps, zoanthids and paly's are food for this fish (actually .. I'm more than OK with that.). However what I do wonder about is gorgonians (I have several photosynthetic species of gorgonian) and clams (approximately a dozen).

To me the real wild card is the clams. If they're at risk then this is a non-starter. I can't really find any good consensus on this online. Most things I read speak mainly of corals and polyps - which to me is OK since majano's are polyps, I'll take the good with the bad if it does in the majano - but not really a whole lot about clams specifically.

Any thoughts?

JDigital
04-03-2009, 05:55 AM
Damn you Tony for making this thread.... As soon as I saw it I went off looking at liveaquaria and such looking a what other Butterflies might be "with caution" for reef compatibility. :lol:

The Tahitian Butterfly is sooo nice!

EmilyB
04-03-2009, 05:57 AM
My thoughts instantly were my Golden Butterfly.....I never had majano, but I could hold an aiptasia rock in there for quite a display, and had clams everywhere.

VFX
04-03-2009, 06:44 AM
Hey Tony,

I had quite a few small aiptasia & a couple of larger ones until I got a Racoon. The aiptasia mysteriously went away soon afterwards. Not sure about majanos as I didn't have any.

Hard to say about clams... I added the Racoon at the same time I added a clam and I had to move the clam into another tank within 2 days as my Long Nose kept nipping at it. The Racoon didn't seem to touch my gorg but again, I moved it into another tank after a short while.

The Racoon did like meaty LPS polyps. Not so much as eat them all but annoy them enough so that they never open up properly. I also had some pesky brown palys on the side of a few rocks & he never touched those. It did take a little time for him to eat prepared & frozen foods.

I've tried them from quite small (less than 2") & also around 3-4". I had better luck with the larger ones for getting the to feed but from what I read you don't want to buy them much larger than 4" or so.

Also, I think the False Falcula will pick at your SPS & clams.

Tahitian Butterflies are v. pretty!

.

no_bs
04-03-2009, 07:37 AM
We got a racoon for an apatasia issue. After he ate them all, he went after our carpet and some frog spawn, mushrooms, ricordia's, and what ever else he could get. Just be cautious. Oh yeah,If you don't care if he eat's your clove, we'll take them. HAHAHA.:lol:

i have crabs
04-04-2009, 01:40 AM
i just bought a rocoon at golds today, i think their are still 2 thier