Chevron ButterflyfishChevroned Butterflyfish, Triangulate Butterflyfish
V-lined Butterflyfish, Table-coral Butterflyfish

Habitat: Natural geographic location:     The Chevron Butterflyfish, also known as the V-lined Butterflyfish and the Triangulate Butterflyfish, was described by Quoy and Gaimard in 1825, and was first collected in Guam. They are found in the Indo-West Pacific Oceans; Red Sea, African coasts to southern Japan, New Caledonia, Hawaiian and Society Islands and Rapa. Rare in Hawaii.
     Their natural habitat is in hard coral rich areas of outer reef slopes, lagoons, and coastal reefs at depths between (1 - 30 meters), though most are found in the shallower waters of that range.
     Adults are solitary and territorial. An adult specimen is typically seen alone, patrolling an established territory that often contains one or more table corals of the Acropora species. Females will have a smaller territory than males. In one area, Okinawa, they exhibit a haremic behavior with the males territory encompassing that of two or three females. Juveniles are observed alone or in a small group in shallower waters, often among branches of Acropora table corals.

Status:      These fish are not listed on the IUCN Red List.

Description:      The adult Chevron Butterflyfish is white overall with numerous chevron-patterned lines throughout on the side, except for the chest area.

Chevron Butterflyfish (Juvenile) Photo courtesy: Hiroyuki Tanaka

                              It is yellowish at the pectoral fin base and the eye has a dark band edged by yellow. The dorsal fin is yellow, edged by blue with a black sub-marginal line posteriorly, and slightly duskier centrobasally of the fin. The anal fin is also yellowish, edged by blue with a black sub-marginal line. The caudal fin is black with a yellow margin and a narrower yellow edge on the upper and lower portions. The pelvic fins are white.
     Small juveniles are similar but with fewer pronounced lines on the side. They have a broad black band on the posterior part of body and a broad yellow area on the caudal peduncle. The pelvic fins are yellow and the other fins are translucent. The black band on the posterior part will reduce with growth.

Length/Diameter of fish:      Adults reach 7 inches (18 cm), but most specimens available are are less than 4.7 inches (12 cm).

Maintenance difficulty:      The Chevron Butterflyfish is one of the most difficult butterflyfish to keep in the captive environment for a long period due to their specialized natural diet. A few specimens are successfully encouraged to accept substitute foods and are fairly easy to maintain, but only for a short period. As corals are its natural diet, it has 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.
     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 experiences with this butterflyfish..."

"So many specimens of 4-10 cm long were collected by friends at Nichinan coast of Miyazaki every year. I have kept more than ten individuals of 5-10cm in fish community tanks, and the beautifully marked butterflyfish were doing fairly well for some period when they excepted foods. Some of these did well without any trouble and survived several months. White spot diseases attacked them but many of them successfully were cured by using an appropriate copper sulfate." ...Hiroyuki Tanaka

Foods:      In the wild the Chevron Butterflyfish is an obligate coral eater, feeding on corals in the genus Acropora along with Montipora and occasionally Pocillopra. In captivity it will sometimes accept live brine and mysid shrimps. Also offer other meaty foods, dried flakes, prepared frozen foods, and tablets. Vegetables like lettuce or Japanese Nori (Asakusa-nori) may also be favored. Offer various foods quite frequently at first. Feed it at least twice a day, and if it is a tiny juvenile, feeding should be tried three to four times everyday.
     Juveniles tend to accept various foods and will be more successfully kept than adults. Once it is successfully acclimated it will become a fairly hardy fish, but unfortunately it will not last so long as its dietary needs are very difficult to meet.

Maintenance:      It is active, a rather quick swimmer, and it will even go up to the surface to take foods when it is well acclimated. It swims freely, spending a good deal of its time in the open water but also needs larger decorations like table corals where it may hide or keep motionless. 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 needs larger furnishings like table corals where it can hide or keep motionless. This fish is a coral eater, consequently it is not recommended for coral-rich reefs.
Minimum Tank Length/Size:
     A minimum 70 gallon (265 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 subtropical areas. Temperatures between 70 -79 ° F (21 - 26 ° C) will serve them well, but temperatures higher than 84 ° F (29 ° C) or below 66  ° F (19 ° 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 is quite active and will swim freely in the open water, but it also spends time hiding in cracks and crevices where it will lie motionless.

Social Behaviors:      The Chevron Butterflyfish is a non-reef safe fish. Though it does well in a coral-rich tank, it will eat the corals. It is best kept in a large fish only community tank that is well decorated with large furnishings such as table corals where it can rest and lie motionless.
     This species is a somewhat aggressive fish. It is territorial and will be aggressive towards other members of its own kind, and sometimes other butterflyfish. Larger and rather territorial angelfish, Pomacanthus and Holacanthus can be kept together with this species. Also other angelfish like members of Centropyge, Apolemichthys, Genicanthus, Chaetodontoplus and Pygoplites also can be good tank mates.
     Smaller, non-aggressive fishes like cardinalfish, gobies, tilefish, sometimes other species butterflyfish, fairy basslets, fairy and flasher wrasses, etc. also are 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.

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. Breeding behavior has been observed In Okinawa where males keep a harem type territory that overlaps the smaller territories of two to three females. Spawning occurs at the full moon and for five more days. The male will visit the females throughout the day and courtship begins at dusk. The male will follow a female, nudging her anal area with his snout. The pair will eventually rise up in the water column, releasing their pelagic gametes at the apex and then immediately dart back to the substrate.
     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 Chevron Butterflyfish is sometimes seen at retailers. Most are smaller than 4 1/3 inches (12 cm), but juveniles less than 1 1/2 inches (3 cm) are rare. They are moderately priced, starting at about $20.00 USD.

Author: Hiroyuki Tanaka
Additional Information: Clarice Brough, CFS