Chaetodon capistratus

Linnaeus, 1758

Foureye Butterflyfish, Mock-eye Butterflyfish

Range: Western Atlantic Ocean: Gulf of Mexico, throughout the Caribbean, and south to Venezuela.

Size: 6 inches (15 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits coastal lagoon reefs, reef flats, and fore-reef slopes at depths between 3 to 65 feet (1 – 20 m) and mainly feeds on stony coral polyps and soft corals, e.g., zoanthids, with gorgonians, tubeworms, crustaceans and tunicates also on the menu.

General Husbandry: Quite attractive, as it has a whitish-yellowish body with diagonal brown lines beginning at the mid body and slanting backwards on the upper body and backwards on the lower body. Theres also a brown vertical band through the eyes, and a black eyespot surrounded in white on the aft end of the body. Pelvic fins are bright yellow. Nevertheless, rarely seen in the U.S. aquarium hobby because it has a poor survial rate due to it usually refusing to eat common aquarium foods.

Should be housed in larger peaceful fish-only aquariums, especially those with lots of open swimming space, and live rock hiding places. A meaty diet of live fortified brine shrimp, black worms (Lumbriculus variegatus), and/or various frozen meaty foods such as mysis, should be offered several times daily.

Should there be a problem getting this species to feeds, small human consumption clams/black mussels purchased in local grocery stores and placed on the half-shell in the aquarium may help entice it to begin feeding. Over time, frozen foods like mysis and brine shrimp may be more readily accepted. Furthermore, if feeding in captivity begins, this becomes a very hardy species!

Taxonomy:

Order: Perciformes

Suborder: Percoidei

Family: Chaetodontidae

Genus: Chaetodon

FYI: Juveniles acclimate more easily to aquarium life than do adults.

Preferably maintained without others in the same genus or having similar coloration.

Pressing some soft foods into openings/crevices on a piece of old dead coral skeleton can sometimes encourage finicky eaters to begin feeding.

Experience Level: Professional

Temperament: Peaceful

Diet: Carnivore

Coral Safe: No

Invertebrate Safe: No

Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+

Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium

Tankmates: Peaceful or non-aggressive

Minimum Tank Size: 100 gallons

Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 – 28°C)

Specific Gravity: 1.020 -1.026

pH: 8.0 - 8.5