Saltwater
Melon butterflyfish
Chaetodon trifasciatus
Chaetodontidae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 15 cm
- Body shape
- Deep-bodied
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 88 liters
- Diet
- Missing
Know what is missing? Suggest it in the app.
Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Native
Lives wild in American Samoa, Australia, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Comoros, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Fiji, and 31 more countries.
More about the species
Description
Occur in coral-rich lagoons and semi-protected seaward reefs. Territorial and aggressive to other Chaetodon. Small juveniles secretive in corals. Swim in pairs. Feed exclusively on coral polyps, particularly of the Pocillopora type. Oviparous, monogamous. Form pairs during breeding.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Chaetodon bellus
- Chaetodon layardi
- Chaetodon lunulatus
- Chaetodon ovalis
- Chaetodon pepek
- Chaetodon taunigrum
In other languages
- Oval fanefisk
- Indian Ocean redfin butterflyfish, Indian redfin butterflyfish, Lineated butterflyfish, Pinstriped butterflyfish, Purple butterflyfish, Rainbow butterflyfish, Red-fin butterflyfish, Redfin butterfly fish, Redfin butterflyfish, Three banded coralfish, Three-banded butterfly, Three-banded coralfish
Articles
All articles
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.
From freshwater to saltwater3 min read
What is different in a saltwater aquarium: salt, refractometer, live rock and corals. An introduction for anyone thinking of giving it a try.