Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
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Chaetodon

Chaetodon semeion

Bleeker, 1855

Dotted Butterflyfish

Not Reef Tank Suitable

Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable

Range: Western Pacific Ocean: Maldives to the Tuamotu Archipelago, north to Southern Japan, and south to Great Barrier Reef.

Size: 10 inches (25 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits coral rich lagoon patch reefs, fringing reefs, and fore-reef slopes having collections of rubble at depths of about 6 – 80 feet (2 - 25 m) and feeds on tunicates/sea squirts, and various benthic invertebrates.

General Husbandry: Quite attractive as it has a yellowish body with horizontal lines of black dots, a black eye band, small amount of black on the trailing edge of the body, black band at the caudal peduncle, and yellow dorsal, anal, pelvic, pectoral fins, with a trailing filament on the upper rear edge of the dorsal.

Best maintained in larger peaceful fish-only aquariums, especially those with lots of open swimming space and lots live rock hiding places and areas to browse. As to diet, 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.

Usually an easy species to get feeding in the aquarium, however, should there be a problem; 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.

Taxonomy:

    Order: Perciformes

    Suborder: Percoidei

    Family: Chaetodontidae

    Genus: Chaetodon

FYI: Not safe with soft or stony corals and anemones.

May lose its colorful appearance in captivity.

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: Intermediate

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: 125 gallons

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

Specific Gravity: 1.020 -1.026

pH: 8.0 - 8.5

 Chaetodon semeion (Dotted Butterflyfish)
Photo © Bob Fenner
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