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Banded Butterfly Fish

The banded butterfly fish (Chaetodon striatus) is from the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean. It belongs to the family Chaetodontidae, which includes all of the butterfly fishes. The banded butterfly fish is a good fish for beginning saltwater aquarists.

It reaches a size of about 6.25 inches (16 cm). It is a peaceful fish that can be kept with other members of its own species, as well as nonaggressive fish of similar size. It is best to keep it in pairs or several pairs if you have room in your aquarium. It is not a good species for a reef aquarium because it often eats the inhabitants.

In their natural environment banded butterfly fish eat zooplankton from the water columns, fan worms, and the parasites off of other fish. They often feed off the substrate. They are usually found in pairs, or in groups as large as 10-20.

In captivity they will eat most aquarium foods offered to them, such as finely chopped seafood meats and other frozen foods for marine fish. They will also eat algae based meals (they are sometimes found in the wild feeding on algae). They sometimes accept even freeze-dried food or flakes.