Blacklip Butterflyfish

About

The Blacklip Butterflyfish (Chaetodon kleinii) is one of the more understated members of the chaetodontid family, dressed in warm golden-brown and cream tones with a dark mask across the face and that characteristic dark lip that gives it its common name. It has an enormous natural range, from the Red Sea and East Africa all the way out to Hawaii and Samoa, and is found as far north as southern Japan and as far south as New South Wales. In the wild it tends to hang out deeper than many butterflies, often well below ten meters on seaward reefs and in deeper lagoon channels, which may explain why it handles aquarium conditions a bit more tolerantly than some of its coral-dependent cousins. Out in the reef it feeds on soft coral polyps, algae, and zooplankton, so in a tank you'll want to offer a varied omnivore diet. It's peaceful by nature and usually seen alone or in pairs, both in the wild and in captivity. The real catch with this species is that it will pick at soft corals, so it's better suited to a fish-only or FOWLR setup than a full reef. A solid intermediate-level fish for someone ready to step up from easier marines.