White-face Butterflyfish
1 Breed Profile
The White-face Butterflyfish, also called the White-face Butterflyfish, has a white face with complex colors behind it, so some call it the White-face Butterflyfish. Unfriendly to its own kind, it is not suited to mixing with gentle ornamental fish.
Chinese name: White-face Butterflyfish
Binomial: Chaetodon mesoleucos
Also known as: White-face Butterflyfish
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Osteichthyes
Subclass: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Percoidei
Family: Chaetodontidae
Subfamily: Chaetodontinae
Genus: Chaetodon
Species: White-face Butterflyfish
English name: White-face butterflyfish
2 Appearance
Also called White-face Fish; white face, complex colors behind with several black stripes, a special shape among butterflies. Unfriendly to its own kind, so not for gentle community fish.
Body square-round, short snout, special color: silver head with a black bar through the eye. Body from bright blue to red-brown. Dozens of vertical black stripes on the side. Caudal fin black with a white crescent stripe. Length up to 13 cm.
3 Husbandry
Relatively easy among butterflies, but marine, so match seawater conditions.
Tank as wide as possible, min 265 L, bigger better. Back with vertical reef rock background and rocks, front open. It swims in open space but retreats to background when threatened.
Water quality vital; keep clean, stable pH and temperature, avoid even slight changes. pH 8.3, about 25 C, specific gravity 1.022. No ammonia/nitrite, very low nitrate; good filtration and protein skimmer needed. Top up for evaporation.
4 Feeding
Unfriendly to its own kind, not for gentle community fish. Not hard, but may refuse food after moving. How to feed scientifically?
Foods: dried seaweed, spirulina, nutritious shrimp and mysis, chopped animal food. On introduction, lights off 24 h, start with live food; once it nibbles, half the battle is won. In days it attacks artemia avidly. Try: bloodworms, chopped clams, minced shrimp, beef heart, small squid, flakes. Feeding only one or two foods weakens it; vary foods for health.