I must have one of these fish its just so beautiful. How bigger tank do you need for 1 i was hoping i could get it in my 30G when i turn it into a marine tank and put in a pair of clowns 1 small goby type thing and a few cleaner shrimp. Possible? if not how bigger tank do i need for that?
Butterflies in general are a difficult fish to keep. Like tangs, they need a bigger tank. At least 65g at the bare minimun IMO but it also depends on how much LR you have in the tank. They need room to swim and graze. They are also very succeptable to stresses and they can be difficult to feed. They wont always take prepared foods. They will nip at soft corals so be prepared if you add one to a reef tank.
As for the clowns and goby, those are better choices for that size tank.
The cleaner shrimp I would only keep one in a 30g. I have a 45g reef tank and one cleaner is plenty. They can get pretty big and they grow fast.
If you've already got a stand and all for that tank you could upgrade to a 45g tank. That has the same footprint as the 30. That's what I did. If I were to start over again though, I would start with a 75g. Much less limiting in what you're able to keep.
OK for starters a Copperband butterfly is not a fish for a beginner. A 30 gal tank is going to be incredibly to small for one also. They not only need A LOT of room but they need an established tank as well. These fish are very suceptible to bad water quality also. Depending on what type of goby you get your restricted to tank sizes on them also. Most Gobies require a tank of atleast 50 gallons. This is needed for beneficial food they sift out of the sand. For a 30 Gal tank i would have to recommend smaller fish such as Damsels, clowns, cardinals or even psuedochromis. I hope this didnt bring you down on the idea of starting your new tank.
