All fish / Chaetodontidae

Teardrop Butterflyfish

Chaetodon unimaculatus

Also known as teardrop butterfly, one-spot butterflyfish, limespot butterflyfish, yellow teardrop butterflyfish, no, イッテンチョウチョウウオ, 一点蝴蝶鱼, 泪珠蝴蝶

This is a deep-bodied butterflyfish with a white to yellow body and yellow fins. It has a large black spot shaped like a teardrop on its upper side, and a black bar runs through the eye. Fish-only keepers like it because it is hardy for a butterflyfish and usually takes prepared foods without much fuss.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

18 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 seafood, marine algae, frozen mixes and quality flake

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

7 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific and central Pacific, from East Africa to Hawaii and the Pitcairn Islands

Breeding

It scatters eggs in open water as a pair, and the larvae drift in the plankton for a long time. It has not been bred in home aquariums.

Good to know

Not reef safe. It eats hard and soft corals, especially Sarcophyton and stony polyps, and will also pick at tubeworms and anemones. It can be aggressive towards other butterflyfish, so give it plenty of room.