Foureye Butterflyfish

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Broadly distributed in the Western tropical Atlantic, common from North Carolina, Florida, and the Bahamas down to Venezuela and northern Brazil. Inhabits shallow coral reefs and seagrass beds at depths of 1 to 20 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the family Chaetodontidae. Features a highly compressed, oval body with a pointed snout. Reaches a maximum length of 15 cm (6 inches).

Social Behavior: Peaceful. Commonly seen in nature singly or in stable monogamous pairs patrolling reef habitats.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Body is light silvery-grey with dark diagonal lines arranged in a chevron pattern. Features a black vertical band through the real eye and a large, white-ringed black spot on the rear body near the tail. No visible sexual dimorphism.

Aquarium Setup: Requires a tank of at least 280 liters with established live rock formations offering crevices and open swimming spaces.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivorous. Feeds on zoanthids, gorgonians, polychaetes, and coral polyps. Hard to feed in captivity; feed multiple times daily with minced fresh clams, mussels, frozen mysis, and brine shrimp.

Water Quality: Demands clean, well-oxygenated water: temperature 23-27°C (73-81°F), pH 8.1-8.4, specific gravity 1.020-1.025, GH 15-25, and KH 8-12.

Compatibility and Tankmates: NOT reef-safe. Will consume stony coral polyps and ornamental invertebrates. Best kept in FOWLR aquariums. Can be kept in pairs if added at the same time.

Aquarium Reproduction: Very rare in captivity. Pelagic spawners with a free-swimming larval phase.

Risks and Diseases: Highly prone to feeding strike during acclimation, which often leads to starvation. Susceptible to external parasites under stress.