Part 3 of 4 Poor Choices

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By Bob Fenner

Butterflyfishes for Marine
Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
New eBook on Amazon: Available here
New Print Book on Create Space: Available here

by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Chaetodon melapterus Guichenot 1862. Arabian or Black-Finned Melon Butterflyfish. Coming from the middle of the Red Sea down and around Yemen, Oman into the Persian Gulf, this is another "principally coral polyp feeder". To about five inches in length. Aquarium image.

Chaetodon meyeri Bloch & Schneider 1801, Meyer's Butterflyfish. Widespread in the Indian Ocean to western Pacific Oceans, this species is another loser that is too-frequently sold as a "miscellaneous" butterfly. Only eats coral polyps... In the Maldives and N. Sulawesi.

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Chaetodon multicinctus Garrett 1863, the Multiband or Pebbled Butterflyfish. Confined to the Hawaiian Islands and Johnston Atoll. Some authors rate this little (five inch maximum length) lower in terms of survivability. Hardy once acclimated. Sometimes can be trained on other food but does eat coral polyps principally in the wild. Hawaii pix.

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Chaetodon ocellatus Bloch 1781, the Spotfin Butterflyfish. Caribbean on south to Brazil. To eight inches in length. A beauty; now if it would only live under captive conditions. Bahamas pix, the last with an isopod parasite on its operculum.

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Chaetodon octofasciatus Bloch 1787, the Eight-banded Butterflyfish. Often sold as a "misc." butterfly, this is a strict feeder on coral polyps... rarely lives more than a few days. A juvenile in Pulau Redang, Malaysia, a semi-adult in captivity and a more typical yellowish one in N. Sulawesi.

Bigger PIX:
The images in this table are linked to large (desktop size) copies. Click on "framed" images to go to the larger size.

Chaetodon ornatissimus Cuvier 1831, the Ornate Butterflyfish. Yet another obligate corallivore. Yes, a beauty, but does not live in home fish tanks. Indo-west Pacific, Including Hawaiian Islands. To about seven inches in length. Commonly offered, doesn't live. Adults in Hawai'i.

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The images in this table are linked to large (desktop size) copies. Click on "framed" images to go to the larger size.

Chaetodon oxycephalus Bleeker 1853, the Spot-Nape or Pig-Face Butterflyfish. Like the very similar and commonly (mis)offered Lined B/F, C. lineatus, this is a very large, poor-surviving species in captivity. Indo-west distribution from the Maldives to Palau. To ten inches. One out in the Maldives.

Chaetodon pelewensis Kner 1868, the Sunset or Dot-Dash Butterflyfish. Very similar to the hardy Spot-Banded Butterflyfish, Chaetodon punctatofasciatus (see in "Good" Chaetodon section) but with oblique body barring versus vertical. Southern Pacific Ocean area. To five inches length overall. This one in the Cook Islands.

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Chaetodon plebeius Cuvier 1831, the Blue-Spot Butterflyfish. Maldives eastward to the South Pacific (Fiji), where these images were made. A beauty that is often sold in the trade and rarely lives for any period of time to speak of. This image from Australia.

Chaetodon quadrimaculatus Gray 1831, the Four-Spot Butterflyfish. Found in the central to western Pacific, including Hawai'i. To six inches long. A few specimens live and live, most die "mysteriously" in aquarium conditions. In the wild, this species feeds principally on Pocillopora coral polyps. Shown, juveniles in Hawai'i, an adult in the Cooks.

Bigger PIX:
The images in this table are linked to large (desktop size) copies. Click on "framed" images to go to the larger size.

To: Good, Medium, & Unknown Chaetodon Choices pages: Split up to save download time... for now.
To: Poor Chaetodon Choices part 1, part II, part IV & Unknown

Butterflyfishes for Marine
Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
New eBook on Amazon: Available here
New Print Book on Create Space: Available here

by Robert (Bob) Fenner

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