Yellowtail Butterflyfish – Chaetodon Xanthurus
Species name: Chaetodon Xanthurus
Common names: Yellowtail or Pearlscale Butterflyfish
Family: Chaetodontidae (Butterflyfishes)
Order: Perciformes (perch-likes)
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 5.5 in.
Minimum tank size: 75 gallons
Hardiness: Medium. Persuading the fish to feed in the aquarium is the biggest challenge.
Aggressiveness: Peaceful. Will not bother other inhabitants of the aquarium. May be compatible with other butterflyfishes that have a different color pattern, but there is no guarantee. When adding more than one to a tank they have to be added simultaneously.
Reef Compatibility: Not safe. Will pick at coral polyps, fanworms and feather dusters. Can be kept with some of the more-noxious soft corals.
Diet: Omnivore. In the wild, it feed upon coral polyps, small invertebrates and graze intermittently on algae. Can be feed Marine fish, crustacean, Angelfish foods containing sponge, foods containing algae, mysid shrimp, marine Amphipods cultured in a refugium, vegetables, spirulina, mussels, clams and frozen preparation. It can be employed to clean live rock of glass anemones. Feed 3 times a day.
Additional information:
In the wild, the Yellowtail Butterflyfish are found in the Indo Pacific (Philippines, East Indies, Okinawa) at depth of 20 to 150 feet where they live alone, in pairs or in small groups. Often found in reef slopes and drop-offs around Acropora staghorn corals. It does well in the home aquarium but like all butterflyfish, it’s not a fish for the casual aquarist.
Body is silvery and the tail can be red, orange, or even black. These fish typically have rather round and thin bodies and an orange tail. The head is darker than the body and has vertical balck eyestripes and a black white-rimmed crown spot.
They are very similar to three other butterflyfish: C. mertensii, C. madagascariensis, and C. paucifasciatus. It can be distinguished from Chaetodon mertensii by the presence of a dark oval spot, edged with white, above the forehead. The related Chaetodon paucifasciatus can be distinguised by posterior markings that are brick red instead of orange and has a yellow eye stripe instead of a black one.
The ideal aquarium should have a pH of 8.1 to 8.4 with a specific gravity between 1.020 and 1.025 and a temperature of 72 to 78° F. Requires scrupulous attention to water quality. In order for the fish to feel secure, the aquascape should mimic its natural habitat: branched coral skeletons, open swimming areas and hiding place to hide (to reduce stress). Should be kept with other peaceful species, that are similarly active and able to compete for food.
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