Sunset Butterflyfish

Geographical Origin and Habitat: South Pacific Ocean, distributed from the Great Barrier Reef to Fiji, Samoa, and the Tuamotu Islands. Inhabits outer reef slopes and clear lagoons.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the family Chaetodontidae. Closely related to Chaetodon punctatofasciatus, with which it is known to hybridize in areas of range overlap.

Social Behavior: Peaceful and active diurnally. Typically swims in monogamous pairs or singly, searching the reef structure for small organisms and coral polyps.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Silvery-white body background, transitioning to a warm orange-yellow color on the upper back. Marked with diagonal rows of dark dots forming broken lines.

Aquarium Setup: Requires a well-cycled marine aquarium of at least 250 liters with plenty of live rock arranged to create overhangs and visual boundaries.

Diet and Feeding: Omnivorous. Feeds on coral polyps, algae, and small benthic invertebrates. Accepts high-quality flakes, pellets, frozen brine shrimp, mysis, and spirulina.

Water Quality: Standard marine parameters: temperature 22-27 °C, pH 8.1-8.4, and salinity 1.020-1.025 with efficient filtration and moderate water movement.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: Highly peaceful. Not reef safe as it nips at stony corals. Best kept in a community fish-only system with other non-aggressive marine species.

Aquarium Breeding: Reproduction in home aquariums is undocumented. Pelagic spawner. Eggs and larvae drift in the ocean column before settling onto reefs.

Risks and Diseases: Moderately hardy once acclimated. Main risk is starvation if not offered a varied diet initially. Sensitive to copper-based medications.