Animal-World > Marine Fish > Marine Butterflyfish > Golden Butterflyfish

Golden Butterflyfish

Blue Mask Butterflyfish ~ Masked Butterflyfish
Addis Butterflyfish Family: Chaetodontidae

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Chaetodon semilarvatus Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Greg Rothschild

   Not only is the beautiful Golden Butterflyfish attractive as a marine pet in the aquarium trade, it is also very popular among divers!

   The Golden Butterflyfish or Blue Mask Butterflyfish is a very popular and widely known butterflyfish. It is a much sought-after aquarium pet but does command a relatively high price. It is one of the easiest butterflyfish to keep in captive environment. Once acclimated will become a hardy pet that can be kept for several years. No technical care is needed to maintain it. It will take a variety of foods, and will even go up to the surface to take foods from its keepers once it is comfortable.

   Many reef-keepers hope to keep the Golden Butterflyfish in a mini reef, but as it will be a coral eater it is best kept in a fish only community tank. This species itself is a non-aggressive fish. It can be kept with a variety of tank mates with a similar temperament as well as the larger and rather territorial angelfish like Pomacanthus and Holacanthus. Though not a very quick swimmer, it swims freely and usually spends a good deal of its time in the open water.

For more Information on keeping marine fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Marine Aquarium

Dream Aquarium Build your own aquarium. The Coolest and Funnest Screensaver in the World.

Status:
   These fish are not listed on the IUCN Red List.

Description:
   The adult Golden Butterflyfish or Blue Mask Butterflyfish is very distinctly shaped and colored. The body is disc-like and entirely bright yellow. It has about 13 vertical narrow orangish lines, broadening slightly in the abdominal area. There is a triangular black patch just behind its black eye, covering the gill opening and reaching the chest area. The fins are yellow except the pectoral ones which are translucent, the dorsal and anal fins have a narrow blue submarginal line, and the caudal fin is translucent posteriorly.
   Juveniles very similar but with a black band through the eye instead of triangular patch.

Length/Diameter of fish:
   Adults reach 9 inches (23 cm), but most specimens available are around 5 1/2 inches (14 cm).

Maintenance difficulty:
   The Golden Butterflyfish is one of the easiest butterflyfish to keep in a captive environment. No technical care is needed to maintain it, it will take a variety of foods and can be kept for several years. As it will harm polyps of some stony and soft coral species, it is not recommended for reef-type aquariums.
   Many of the Chaetodon members are often very colorful and attractive to aquarists. Unfortunately some of them are rather difficult to keep for a long period. Some are exclusively coral eaters, and sometimes they suffer from “ich” (white spot disease) and other infectious diseases.They can be treated successfully with medical care or copper drugs, but some species hate sudden changes of water including PH, temperature, or any drug treatment.
   In the wild a cleaner wrasse (Labroides sp.) will help them by taking parasites from their bodies, however these wrasses are extremely difficult to sustain in captivity. Alternative fish such as Neon Gobies (Gobiosoma spp.) can help them by providing this cleaning service in the home aquarium.

Diseases that Marine Butterflyfish are susceptible to:
Marine Ich(white spot disease), Marine Velvet, Uronema marinum, and Lymphocystis

Foods:
   The Golden Butterflyfish are omnivores, in the wild butterflyfish are known to eat live coral polyps, sessile invertebrates, and zooplankton. Provide Meaty foods, dried flakes, shrimps, and tablets. Japanese Nori (Asakusa-nori) will also be favored. Offer various foods quite frequently at first. Once it is successfully acclimated it will become a very hardy and long lived fish. Feed it at least twice a day, and if it is a tiny juvenile feeding should be tried three to four times everyday.

Maintenance:
   No special care or technique is needed to maintain this fish in the aquarium and it will become a fairly hardy pet. Though not a very quick swimmer it swims freely, usually spending a good deal of its time in the open water and moving in and out of crevices. Frequent water changes are not necessary, rather normal water changes at 10% biweekly or 20% monthly are fine. Sudden massive water changes can cause trouble.
   For more information see, Marine Aquarium Basics: Maintenance

Aquarium Parameters:
   The tank should be well decorated with rocks/ corals with many hiding places, even for adults. This fish is known as a coral eater, nipping the polyps of some stony and soft coral species. Consequently it is never recommended for reef-type aquariums.
Minimum Tank Length/Size:
   A minimum 50 gallon (190 liters).
Light: Recommended light levels
   It is best kept under the normal lighting conditions, but can also be kept under very bright light as long as some dimly lit spaces are provided.
Temperature:
   This species lives in tropical areas. Temperatures between 75 -79° F (24 - 26° C) will serve them well, but temperatures higher than 86° F (30° C) or below 72 ° F (22° C) would not be good.
Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong
   Water movement is not a significant factor. It can tolerate a rather strong flow but slow-moving water will be more favorable.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom
   It swims freely and usually spends time in the open water.

Social Behaviors:
   The Indian Butterflyfish or Headband Butterflyfish is a non-reef safe fish. Though it does well in a coral-rich tank, it will nip some species of hard and soft corals. It will do well in a fish only community tank that is well decorated with rocks/ corals and many hiding places.
   As this species is not an aggressive fish, it is best to select tank mates that are not overly territorial or aggressive. It can however be kept with the larger and rather territorial angelfishes like Pomacanthus and Holacanthus. Centropyge, along with other angelfish members of Apolemichthys, Genicanthus, Chaetodontoplus and Pygoplites could also be good tank mates. Smaller non-aggressive fishes like cardinalfish, gobies, tilefish, fairy basslets, fairy and flasher wrasses, etc. are also good candidates as tank mates. Small but very territorial fishes like dottybacks should be avoided. Such fish as Basses or scorpionfish, even if they are small enough, should also be avoided.

Sex: Sexual differences:
   No sexual difference is noted for this species. Butterflyfish species studied up to this time indicate that these fish are gonochoristic, meaning that each fish is either a male or a female and they do not change sex.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   This species has not been cultivated in captivity. Marine butterflyfish have not reportedly been spawned successfully in captivity. There are, however, reports of some success in rearing wild collected larvae of some of the corallivorous butterflyfish. It is hoped these captive reared fish will be adapted to accept aquarium foods, and thus broaden the species selections that can be sustained in captivity.
   For more information see, Marine Fish Breeding. 

Buy Golden Butterflyfish From LiveAquaria.com

Availability:
   The Golden Butterflyfish or Blue Mask Butterflyfish is commonly seen at retailers. Most available specimens are around 4 inches (10 cm) long, juveniles less than 2 inches (5 cm), though possibly obtainable, are more scarce.
   This fish commands a fairly high price at about $120.00 to $250.00 USD, but this is much lower than in the past. Some twenty years ago they cost well over $450.00 - $500.00 USD.

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Author: Hiroyuki Tanaka
Additional Information: Clarice Brough, CFS