All fish / Chaetodontidae

Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish

Forcipiger flavissimus

Also known as longnose butterflyfish, forcepsfish, yellow longnose butterfly, longnose butterfly, forceps butterflyfish, yellow longnose, ผีเสื้อปากยาว, フエヤッコダイ, kepe-kepe monyong, 黄镊口鱼, 火箭蝶

A bright yellow butterflyfish with a very long, thin snout, a black upper head and a dark eyespot near the tail. It is one of the hardier butterflyfish and is kept for its striking colour and the way it picks food from crevices in the rockwork.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

18 cm

Temperature

23 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

400 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a mated pair

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, chopped shrimp and clam, brine shrimp, quality frozen marine mixes and pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific and eastern Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii and Mexico

Breeding

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

Good to know

It will pick at tubeworms, small shrimps and some invertebrates, so it is only partly reef safe. It looks very like the Big Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger longirostris), which has a longer snout and is harder to keep.