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Description:
Butterflyfish have a oval shaped body that is very thin
laterally. This shape, along with a protruding mouth, allow them to move
among the rocks on a coral reef and find food in the nooks and crannies
there. Of course almost all butterflyfish are not recommended for reef aquariums
because of their habit of eating corals!
Care and feeding:
Most members of this family are grazers that feed on algae,
sponges and corals. However, some are omnivorous and eat small and planktonic
animals. Young fish may be easier to acclimate to aquarium conditions
and should be fed several times a day.
All butterfly fishes should be offered a large variety of
food including live brine, flakes, and frozen foods of all kinds including
Formula I, Formula II, Angel Formula and spirulina. Several sponge based
frozen foods are now available and can be fed to butterflyfish.
Breeding:
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.
See Marine Fish Breeding. for information on reproductive habits.
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Sunset Butterflyfish
Photo © Animal-World
