Butterfly Fish

One of the most beautifully colored of all fishes, the butterfly fish is well known for it ability to gracefully move about the coral reef with an air of total indifference. Their tightly compress bodies display an array of various patterns and colors that have made them very popular for aquarium use. With close to 115 species of butterfly fishes they can be found in tropical waters among the reef in areas throughout the world but most often observed in the Indo-Pacific regions. They are small to medium fish from the Perciformes order and in the Chaetodontidae family. Of the ten genera in this family the Chaetodon genus contains the majority of the species. The mouth on the butter fly fish is small and protrudes, even extensively in some cases such as the long nose butterfly fish. They have many small teeth in both jaws and the round, flat body of the butterfly fish is, in most species, covered with contrasting colors. The main diet of the butterfly fish consist of algae, plankton, worms and small crustaceans but in many species this fish is considered an omnivore, which means it will eat almost anything that is available.

It is not uncommon to see certain species of the butterfly fish that have several distinct colors or shades of color on their bodies. Although shades of yellow are predominate in many of the species others are found with shades of orange, browns, blues, whites and silver. In most species the body is barred with lines running in various different patterns that give each species its distinction and some species have a single black spot either on the body or fins. This type of marking can be found on the Chaetodon auriga's fin, the body of the Chaetodon capistratus and Chelmon rostratus. One of the more interesting barred species is the Chaetondon vagabundus which has a distinct black bar that runs the width of its body right through the area of the eye. Some of the more colorful of the species might include the blue striped butterfly fish, the Chevron butterfly fish, the forcep fish, the Heni, the half yellow butterfly fish, the jack knife and the Hawaiian teardrop butterfly fish.

Racoon butterfly

Little is known about the mating and reproduction habits of the butterfly fishes although it is known that these fish swim about during the day light hours searching for food. At night they hide among the recesses found in the reef. Most species prefer to live singly or in pairs even though some species are known to live in small schools of no more than ten or twenty of their species. In some species such as the Chaetodon ephippium the eggs are contained inside the body of the female until spawning takes place. They are then released to float openly in the water until hatching. The young butterfly fish in most species are very different in coloration from the adults. In some species, such as the Holacanthus tricolor, the bodies are one solid color with few markings while in others, such as the emperor angelfish, the juveniles are blue with white markings. Aquarium enthusiast throughout the world find the butterfly fish one of the most colorful and beautiful additions to their tanks but it is interesting to note that some species that are equal in size are known to fight with each other. Properly cared for the butterfly fish can survive for many years in an aquarium environment but because they are very sensitive fish, should not be expected to spawn while in captivity.
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