Where to buy Ornate Butterflyfish
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About Ornate Butterflyfish
The Ornate Butterflyfish is a bright yellow fish with bold white and black vertical stripes running along its body. A distinctive black eyeband passes through the eye, and the tail fin displays striking black and white banding. The body is laterally compressed with a small mouth adapted for picking food from reef crevices.
Key facts
- Diet Details
- Feed a varied diet of high-quality frozen and dried marine foods including mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, and quality flake foods. Supplement with small amounts of finely minced seafood and spirulina-based preparations multiple times daily.
- Reef safety
- Reef Safe with Caution
- Difficulty Level
- The Ornate Butterflyfish is challenging to keep in captivity due to its specialized feeding habits and sensitivity to water quality changes. It requires excellent tank conditions, frequent small meals, and a well-established reef system to thrive.
- Diet
- omnivore
- Care Level
- Hard
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Care Requirements
- • Minimum 75-gallon aquarium, preferably 100+ gallons • Water params: 72–78°F, pH 8.1–8.3, SG 1.023–1.025 • Pristine water quality with strong, indirect flow; remove at night if light-sensitive • Varied diet: high-quality flake/pellet foods, frozen mysis, small copepods • Peaceful community fish; avoid aggressive feeders and highly territorial species
- Origin
- Indo-Pacific region from Indonesia and the Philippines westward to the Red Sea, including the Great Barrier Reef and extending to Samoa and the Hawaiian Islands.
- Common Health Issues
- Ich, marine velvet, nutritional deficiencies, feeding difficulties in captivity
- Appearance
- The Ornate Butterflyfish is a bright yellow fish with bold white and black vertical stripes running along its body. A distinctive black eyeband passes through the eye, and the tail fin displays striking black and white banding. The body is laterally compressed with a small mouth adapted for picking food from reef crevices.
- Max Size
- 7
- Feeding Schedule
- 3-4 times daily
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