Collare Butterflyfish

Care at a glance

Overview

Provide a 340 litre or larger tank at 23 to 27 C and pH 8.1 to 8.4 with plenty of rock and swimming room. It is not reef safe and will nip stony and soft corals and sessile invertebrates. Choose a specimen over about 8 cm that is already eating, then feed mysis, enriched brine, chopped clam and mussel, and other meaty foods several times a day. It is mostly peaceful but can be feisty toward other butterflyfish.

In the wild

The collare butterflyfish is a hardy, boldly marked species found in pairs and sometimes large aggregations on reef slopes. It has a dark body with a white collar behind the head and a red tail. It picks at coral polyps and small invertebrates across the reef. It needs open swimming space and rocky crevices for cover.

Good to know

Chaetodon collare is a butterflyfish in the family Chaetodontidae, also called the Pakistan butterflyfish. It is one of the more robust members of its genus once it is feeding. Its wild diet centers on coral polyps, which is why it does not suit reef tanks.

Did you know

On wild reefs collare butterflyfish sometimes gather in loose groups of dozens, which is unusual for a genus that mostly travels in pairs.

Related species

• 

  Raccoon Butterflyfish

  Chaetodon lunula

  7.9 in (20 cm)106 gal (400 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Threadfin Butterflyfish

  Chaetodon auriga

  9.1 in (23 cm)79 gal (300 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Klein's Butterflyfish

  Chaetodon kleinii

  5.9 in (15 cm)79 gal (300 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Golden Butterflyfish

  Chaetodon semilarvatus

  9.1 in (23 cm)151 gal (570 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Pearlscale Butterflyfish

  Chaetodon xanthurus

  5.5 in (14 cm)75 gal (285 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Milletseed Butterflyfish

  Chaetodon miliaris

  5.1 in (13 cm)75 gal (285 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)