Saltwater
Saddle butterflyfish
Chaetodon ephippium
Chaetodontidae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 30 cm
- Body shape
- Deep-bodied
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 648 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Native
Lives wild in American Samoa, Australia, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cook Islands, Fiji, France, and 22 more countries.
More about the species
Description
Occur in lagoons and seaward reefs to a depth of 30 m, prefer coral-rich and clear water areas. Benthopelagic. Encountered singly, in pairs or small groups (adults often in pairs; juveniles solitary and inshore). Feed on filamentous algae, small invertebrates, coral polyps, and fish eggs. Oviparous. Form pairs during breeding.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Chaetodon garnoti
- Chaetodon mulsanti
- Chaetodon principalis
- Rabdophorus rabdophorus ephippium
In other languages
- Saddelrygget fanefisk
- Black-blotched butterfly-fish, Blackblotch butterflyfish, Saddle-back butterflyfish, Saddleback butterflyfish, Saddled butterflyfish, Saddled 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.