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Bennett's ButterflyfishBluelashed Butterflyfish ~ Archer Butterflyfish ~ Eclipse ButterflyfishFamily: Chaetodontidae Chaetodon bennettiPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Greg RothschildBe the first to add a comment! The pretty and colorful Bennett's Butterflyfish is a very popular fish, especially among divers!Bennett's Butterflyfish Contents Though the Bennett's Butterflyfish is popular and is reasonably priced, it is one of the difficult butterflyfish to keep in a captive environment. Many are poor eaters. In their natural environment they primarily eat coral polyps and some algae. This diet is difficult to reproduce in the aquarium and though some will take substitute foods, many have difficulty adjusting and refuse the foods offered. A specimen that starts browsing on live clams, filamentous algae, and encrusting invertebrates in the tank may then take other substitute foods. Once a Bennett's Butterflyfish is successfully acclimated it can become a hardy pet. As it is fond of the live polyps of stony and soft corals, it can not be recommended for a reef-type setting. It can do well in a fish only community tank kept with a variety of other species with a similar temperament, as well as the larger and rather territorial angelfish like Pomacanthus and Holacanthus. Though not a very quick swimmer, it swims freely and usually spends a good deal of its time in the open water.
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Habitat: Natural geographic location: The Bennett's Butterflyfish or Bluelashed Butterflyfish was described by Cuvier in 1831, and was first collected in Sumatra, Indonesia. They are found wide-spread throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans; East and South African coasts through oceanic islands, Sri Lanka, Christmas and Cocos-Keeling Islands, Southeast Asia, southern Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Palau, Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Marianas, Gilberts, Marshalls, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Cooks, Societies, Marquesas and Rapa.
Adults are usually seen in mated pairs in their natural habitat, and occasionally seen singly. They inhabit rocky shores, clear open coral-reef slopes, and outer reefs at depths between 3 - 65 feet (1- 20 meters).
| Dr. Jungle says, "Hiroyuki tells us a bit about distribution of this butterflyfish in Japan..." |
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| "Friends of mine in Miyazaki, southern Japan catch many young to adult specimens of some 5-15cm long, especially from May to December. They can be seen all around the year." ...Hiroyuki Tanaka |
Status: These fish are not listed on the IUCN Red List.
Description: The adult Bennett's Butterflyfish is distinctly colored. The body is oval and yellow and there is a large black spot, in the center near the base of the caudal fin, surrounded by a white circle. The background coloration is somewhat duskier around this circle. There are two diagonal bluish stripes; one beginning behind the eye running through the pectoral-fin base and ending in the anal region, and another beginning in the same area and ending near the anal fin-base. There is a faint vertical band posteriorly and a white-edged black band through the eye that is yellowish above eye. The fins are yellow without distinct markings.
Juveniles are similar but have a whitish yellow body with two faint diagonal lines on the side.
Length/Diameter of fish: Adults reach 7 inches (18 cm), but most specimens available are less than 4 1/2 inches (12 cm).
Maintenance difficulty: The Bennett's Butterflyfish is one of the difficult Butterflyfish to keep in the captive environment due to their specialized natural diet. A few specimens are successfully encouraged to accept substitute foods and can do well for some period. However as corals are its natural diet, it can have poor survivability. Also because it will harm the polyps of hard stony coral species, it is not recommended for reef-type aquariums.
Many of the Chaetodon members are often very colorful and attractive to aquarists. Unfortunately some of them are rather difficult to keep for a long period. Some are exclusively coral eaters, and sometimes they suffer from "ich" (white spot disease) and other infectious diseases.They can be treated successfully with medical care or copper drugs, but some species hate sudden changes of water including PH, temperature, or any drug treatment. The Bennett's Butterflyfish is a stony coral eater and it can also be sensitive to some drugs. Be sure to observe this fish closely when medicating it, so you can remove it if it shows signs of stress.
In the wild a cleaner wrasse (Labroides sp.) will help them by taking parasites from their bodies, however these wrasses are extremely difficult to sustain in captivity. Alternative fish such as Neon Gobies (Gobiosoma spp.) can help them by providing this cleaning service in the home aquarium.
Diseases that Marine Butterflyfish are susceptible to:
Marine Ich(white spot disease), Marine Velvet, Uronema marinum, and Lymphocystis
| Dr. Jungle says, "Hiroyuki shares his experience keeping this butterflyfish..." |
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| "I have kept several individuals of the size ranging from 5-10cm in a fish community tank, and kept these beautifully marked butterflyfishes without great trouble except choice of foods. White spot diseases attacked them on occasion, and some of them successfully recovered by using an appropriate copper sulfate. However some seemed quite sensitive to drugs and so could not be treated. Most of these did not take any food before or after infection and staved to death." ...Hiroyuki Tanaka |
Foods: The Bennett's Butterflyfish or Bluelashed Butterflyfish are omnivores. In the wild they feed primarily on hard coral polyps and algae. Initially provide live clams, along with encrusting invertebrates on live rock and filamentous algae. Once it begins to feed, you can then provide a variety of meaty foods, dried flakes, shrimps, tablets, and Japanese Nori (Asakusa-nori). You can also provide algae and commercially prepared formulas containing algae.
Offer various foods quite frequently at first. Once it is successfully acclimated it can become hardy and live for a some period. Feed it at least twice a day, and if it is a tiny juvenile, feeding should be tried three to four times everyday.
Maintenance: Though not a very quick swimmer it swims freely, usually spending a good deal of its time in the open water and moving in and out of crevices. Frequent water changes are not necessary, rather normal water changes at 10% biweekly or 20% monthly are fine. Sudden massive water changes can cause trouble.
For more information see, Marine Aquarium Basics: Maintenance
Aquarium Parameters:
The tank should be well decorated with rocks/ corals with many hiding places, even for adults. This fish is a coral eater, nipping the polyps of hard stony coral species. Consequently it is not recommended for coral-rich reefs.
Minimum Tank Length/Size:
A minimum 50 gallon (190 liters) or larger.
Light: Recommended light levels
It is best kept under the normal lighting conditions, but can also be kept under very bright light as long as some dimly lit spaces are provided.
Temperature:
This species lives in both tropical and temperate areas. Temperatures between 72 -79° F (22 - 26° C) will serve them well, but temperatures higher than 86° F (30° C) or below 64° F (18° C) would not be good.
Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong
Water movement is not a significant factor. It can tolerate a rather strong flow but slow-moving water will be more favorable.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom
It swims freely and usually spends time in the open water.
Social Behaviors: The Bennett's Butterflyfish is a non-reef safe fish. Though it does well in a coral-rich tank, it will nip the polyps of hard stony coral species. It it best kept in a fish only community tank that is well decorated with rocks/ corals and many hiding places.
This species is generally not an aggressive fish. It is best to select other tank mates that are not overly territorial or aggressive. It can however be kept with the larger and rather territorial angelfishes like Pomacanthus and Holacanthus. Centropyge, along with other angelfish members of Apolemichthys, Genicanthus, Chaetodontoplus and Pygoplites could also be good tank mates. Smaller non-aggressive fishes like cardinalfish, gobies, tilefish, fairy basslets, fairy and flasher wrasses, etc. are also good candidates as tank mates. Small but very territorial fishes like dottybacks should be avoided. Such fish as Basses or scorpionfish, even if they are small enough, should also be avoided. Larger frogfishes can swallow everything, so also should be avoided.
Sex: Sexual differences: No sexual difference is noted for this species. Butterflyfish species studied up to this time indicate that these fish are gonochoristic, meaning that each fish is either a male or a female and they do not change sex.
Breeding/Reproduction: This species has not been cultivated in captivity. Marine butterflyfish have not reportedly been spawned successfully in captivity. There are, however, reports of some success in rearing wild collected larvae of some of the corallivorous butterflyfish. It is hoped these captive reared fish will be adapted to accept aquarium foods, and thus broaden the species selections that can be sustained in captivity.
For more information see, Marine Fish Breeding.
Availability: The Bennett's Butterflyfish is occasionally seen at retailers. Most of those that are available are less than 4 3/4 inches (12 cm ), but juveniles less than 1 1/2 inches (4 cm ) are rare. This fish is very reasonable priced, ranging from about $15.00 USD and up depending on size. Adults will start at about $25.00 USD.
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