All fish / Chaetodontidae

Mirror Butterflyfish

Chaetodon speculum

Also known as mirror butterfly, ovalspot butterflyfish, oval-spot butterflyfish, yellow teardrop butterflyfish, spot butterflyfish, speculum butterflyfish, oval spot butterfly, アケボノチョウチョウウオ, kepe-kepe, 镜斑蝴蝶鱼, 黄镜斑蝴蝶鱼

A bright lemon-yellow butterflyfish with a large dark oval blotch below the dorsal fin and a black bar through the eye. It is kept for its striking colour and calm swimming in large fish-only or reef systems.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

15 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

450 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a mated pair

Diet

Omnivore: mysis, chopped shellfish, brine shrimp, quality marine flakes and pellets, sponge-based foods

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific: Indonesia, Philippines, northern Australia, Japan to Tonga

Breeding

It spawns in pairs, scattering pelagic eggs into open water, and the larvae pass through a long planktonic stage. It has not been bred reliably in home aquariums.

Good to know

Not reef safe, as it will pick at corals, especially soft and stony polyps, and some individuals are slow to accept prepared food. Easily confused with the similar Chaetodon zanzibarensis and C. unimaculatus.