Chaetodon semilarvatus
| Common Names: | Addis Butterfly Fish Red Sea butterfly Fish |
| Synonyms: |
| Family: | Chaetodontidae |
| Category: | Chaetodontids |
| Distribution: | Indo Pacific; Confined to the Red Sea. |
| Main Ecosystem: | Reef; Inhabitant of mature reefs with well established large stony coral populations |
| Temperament: | Territorial; Exhibits territorial behaviour in the aquarium with conspecifics (except in the case of mated pairs), generally peaceful toward other species though requires considerable space if other Bufferfly Fishes share the same aquarium. Best kept as the only resident Butterfly Fish, with peaceful companions. |
| Diet: | Carnivore; In the wild, a feeder upon coral polyps and assorted small invertebrates. One of the less fastidious aquarium species once it is feeding in the aquarium. Will take Mysis shrimp and similar fare: exceptional specimens may even adapt to marine flake. |
| Care: | Like most Butterfly Fishes of the same genus, requires scrupulous attention to water cleanliness. Should be given large quarters with plenty of coral decorations. Not reef safe: will eat live corals enthusiastically! As a Red Sea species, it is evolved to withstand higher than normal salinity. Advisable to restrict aquarium companions to other Red Sea species for optimum care. |
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| Potential Size: | Male: 19cm (7.5") Female: 19cm (7.5") |
| Water Region: | Middle; Found swimming close to branched corals for protection and feeding |
| Activity: | Diurnal |
| Gender: | No visible differences known. |
| Breeding: | Unknown in the aquarium to date. Few details known about breeding behaviour in the wild. |
| Variants: | None known. |
| Comments: | Some specimens extraordinarily recalcitrant with respect to aquarium feeding at first (behaviour first reported by Graham Cox in his 1970's book), but once acclimatised and feeding, one of the toughest members of the genus. However, variability in ease of acclimatisation make this a fish for the experienced marine aquarist. |
| Main Colours: | Yellow, Black |
| Markings: | Striped Vertical |
| Mouth: | Normal |
| Tail: | Flat |
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| Image Credit: | © FishProfiles.com |
| Submitted By: | Calilasseia |
| Contributors: | Calilasseia, greenmonkey51 |
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