All fish / Chaetodontidae

White-face Butterflyfish

Chaetodon mesoleucos

Also known as whiteface butterflyfish, white face butterflyfish, red sea butterflyfish, mesoleucos butterflyfish, メソレウコス, 白面蝴蝶鱼

This butterflyfish has a pale white front half and a darker, finely barred grey-brown rear, with a black and white banded tail and a dark bar through the eye. It is kept by marine aquarists who want an unusual Red Sea species that is less often seen than common butterflyfish.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

13 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

400 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a mated pair

Diet

Omnivore: mysis, brine shrimp, chopped seafood, marine algae and quality flake or pellets offered several times a day

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman

Breeding

It scatters pelagic eggs in open water, usually as a pair. Breeding has not been reliably achieved in home aquariums.

Good to know

It may pick at coral polyps and anemones, so it is not reliably reef safe. Wild fish can be reluctant to feed at first and are rarely exported, so they are usually expensive.