All fish / Chaetodontidae

Red Sea Raccoon Butterflyfish

Chaetodon paucifasciatus

Also known as red sea chevron butterflyfish, eritrean butterflyfish, crown butterflyfish, paucifasciatus butterflyfish, red-back butterflyfish, no, パウシファシアータス, レッドシー・クラウンバタフライ, 红海浣熊蝶, 红海人字蝶

This butterflyfish has a white body marked with dark chevron bars, an orange-red patch towards the rear and a black-edged eye bar. It is one of the hardier butterflyfish and usually adapts to prepared foods, so aquarists like it as a showpiece for fish-only systems.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

12 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, chopped seafood, marine algae, quality flakes and pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

Breeding

It spawns in open water, releasing floating eggs that hatch into larvae with a long planktonic stage. It has not been bred regularly in home aquariums.

Good to know

It will nip corals, anemones and tubeworms, so it is not reef safe. Keep only one per tank unless you have a pair, as members of the same species often fight.