Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus)
| Longnose Butterflyfish Forcipiger flavissimus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Longnose Butterflyfish |
| Name Lat. | Forcipiger flavissimus |
| Family | Butterflyfishes |
| Family lat. | Chaetodontidae |
| Order | Surgeonfishes |
| Order lat. | Acanthuriformes |
| Origin | Indo-Pacific |
| Habitat | Lagoons, seaward reefs |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| pH | 8.1-8.4 |
| Hardness | 8-10 °KH |
| Behavior | Peaceful |
| Keeping | Individual, pair |
| Reef Compatible | With caution |
| Care Level | Moderate |
| Life Span | 5-10 years |
| Protection | No |
| Metric Units | |
| Size | 20 cm |
| Temperature | 22-28 °C |
| Salinity | 33-36 ‰ |
| Aquarium | ~ 650 l |
| US Units | |
| Size | 8" |
| Temperature | 72-82 °F |
| Salinity | 1.020-1.025 sg |
| Aquarium | ~ 170 gal |
Distribution and habitat
The distribution area of Forcipiger flavissimus is the Red Sea, the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the coast of East Africa through Indonesia and Australia to the Galapagos Islands and the west coast of Mexico. There they live in coral-rich lagoons and on exposed outer reefs.
Maintenance
They require a well-structured aquarium with plenty of swimming space and a reef structure (hiding, resting and retreat possibilities) with living stones which they can graze on and which act like a biological filter. Only lime-rich, heavy metal-free sands, gravels, stones or sea sand of various grain sizes may be used as substrate
Filters, skimmers and heaters are necessary to ensure water quality, as well as pumps to simulate tides, swells and bottom currents. Lighting must correspond to the species-appropriate day-night rhythm of the animals
| Salinity: 33-36 ‰ | pH value: 8.1-8.4 |
| Carbonate hardness: 8-10 °KH | Nitrate content: 2-8 mg/l |
| phosphate content: 0.01-0.1 mg/l | nitrite content: 0.0-0.05 mg/l |
For salinity, an average value should be aimed for, which may only vary slightly by +/- 0.5 ‰. Ammonia and ammonium must not be measurable. Special attention must be paid to constantly good water quality.
Diet
They are permanent eaters, feeding mainly on small crustaceans as well as coral polyps. If they are stress-free, the change of food usually succeeds without problems. The food supply should consist of a commercially available, vitamin-enriched frozen special food mix or a combination of chopped shrimp, squid and mussel meat with live and frozen food such as mysis, krill, bosmids and artemia as well as live cyclops, which also serve to keep them busy
It is recommended to feed small portions several times a day (3-5 times)
Regular and varied feeding promotes health and increases resistance.
Behaviour and compatibility
It is recommended to keep them in pairs. To avoid ranking fights, two different sized or two juvenile animals should be placed in the aquarium at the same time. The dominant, larger animal always develops into the male. They should only be socialized with very calm, peaceful fish, as they are very susceptible to stress.
Sex dimorphism
Presumably, all butterflyfishes are sequential hermaphrodites, meaning they possess both male and female sexual expressions. External sexual characteristics are not known.
Reproduction and breeding
There are no known reports of successful breeding in the aquarium.
Important
As reef dwellers they should not be kept in a fish-only aquarium. If kept in pairs, with sufficient activity (live stones, large reef surface) and frequent as well as varied feeding, they can be maintained even in demanding coral tanks without serious attacks on the corals. However, caution is advised with tubeworms and clams. When socialized with too lively or aggressive fish, they sometimes stop feeding
If different species are kept together, care should be taken to ensure that the fish match each other in terms of water quality and temperature requirements and social behavior, and that the setup meets the needs of all species kept together. New fish to be introduced must be acclimated slowly to the water in the aquarium
Further literature can be found in your pet store.
References
Text: Werner Knapp; Image: Franz Lowak
Source: KUITER, DEBELIUS (2007): Atlas der Meeresfische: Die Fische an den Küsten der Weltmeere, Kosmos Verlag; ENGELMANN (2005): Zootierhaltung - Tiere in menschlicher Obhut: Fische, Verlag Harri Deutsch
- Gemäß § 21 Abs. 5 Tierschutzgesetz idgF