Black Back Butterflyfish (Chaetodon melannotus)
The Black Back Butterflyfish (Chaetodon melannotus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Black-backed Butterflyfish, Melannotus Butterflyfish or Blackback Butterflyfish is widespread through the Indo-Pacific region. It’s range extends from the Red Sea and East Africa to Samoa, northward to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island, and throughout Micronesia.
The Black Back Butterflyfish is an oviparous reef dwelling species that are normally encountered alone and (during the spring and early summer breeding season) in pairs, among dense thickets of staghorn corals of the seaward reefs, lagoons, and reef flats of their range, at depths from 9 to over 65 feet, where they are often observed feeding on soft and hard corals.
Although adult Black Back Butterflyfish are seldom seen on the exposed parts of the reefs, they occasionally team up with Melon Butterflyfish (Chaetodon Trifaciatus) to feed across the reef in small groups. Juveniles are commonly seen in pairs and in small schools grazing on octocorallian and scleractinian coral polyps closer inshore.
Black Back Butterflyfish (Chaetodon melannotus)
Black Back Butterflyfish, known as Melannotus Butterflyfish, have a white body color with a black back and oblique black lines along the sides, a yellow face with a vertical black eye band, and yellow fins. There is a black spot just in front of the anal fin on the lower body and a black patch on the caudal peduncle.
Chaetodon melannotus have the ability to change color when encountered at night or when frightened. Except for two white patches,
Black Back Butterflyfish (Chaetodon melannotus)
the upper portion of their body turns black.
The Black Back Butterflyfish (Chaetodon melannotus) appears to be a close relative of the Spot-tailed Butterflyfish (Chaetodon ocellicaudus) and somewhat less so to the Yellow-dotted Butterflyfish (Chaetodon selene). All are oval shaped, silvery with ascending diagonal stripes, have yellow fins and snouts, and are common among dense growths of staghorn corals.
Black Back Butterflyfish are best housed in an established FOWLR aquarium of at least 120 gallon capacity with a coralline or sandy substrate, sufficient mature live rock arranged into caves, crevices, and overhangs for them to hide and graze among, and plenty of free swimming space.
Because of their specialized diet of coral polyps, this species is not considered reef safe.
Chaetodon melannotus are peaceful and get along well with other non aggressive species like Clownfish (Ocellaris Clownfish), Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto), Firefish (Nemateleotris spp.), Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni), Orchid Dottybacks (Pseudochromis fridmani), and Dwarf Angelfish.
Although the Black Back Butterflyfish is generally peaceful, they can exhibit territorial behavior towards conspecifics or similar looking species, especially in smaller systems. Only one should be kept per tank unless a proven pair can be obtained.
Black Back Butterflyfish have not been successfully bred in a home aquarium environment.
Chaetodon melannotus are shy and solitary except during the spring and early summer breeding season when water temperatures warm up to the 82 to 84 F. range. They are egg scatters that form distinct pairs. When the female swells up with eggs, a brief spawning ritual takes place and she scatters her small, buoyant, spherical eggs into the water column with the male immediately fertilizing the eggs.
The buoyant eggs hatch out in 28 to 30 hours into pelagic tholichthys larvae that float among the plankton field for quite some time until they develop into juveniles. The hatched eggs develop a bony plate over the head area that protects them as larvae. This pelagic phase makes it extremely difficult to breed them in aquariums.
In their natural environment, Melannotus Butterflyfish feed primarily on octocorallian and scleractinian coral polyps, tubeworms, and occasionally small invertebrates. In an aquarium environment they will eat a variety of meaty preparations including fresh marine fish, Mysis shrimp, crustacean flesh, brine shrimp, and frozen carnivore preparations. A varied diet should be fed a minimum of 3 times per day to keep them healthy.
The Black Back Butterflyfish (Chaetodon melannotus) is available to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts from a variety of online retailers, wholesalers, and transhippers at the following approximate purchase sizes: Small: 1″ to 2-1/4″; Medium: 2-1/4″ to 3-1/2″; Large: 3-1/2″ to 4-1/2″. Small specimens start at around $ 49.99.
Black Back Butterflyfish (Chaetodon melannotus)
Minimum Tank Size: 120 gallons
Aquarium Type: FOWLR
Care Level: Moderate
Temperament: Peaceful
Aquarium Hardiness: Hardy
Water Conditions: 75°F to 82°F, dKH 8 – 12°, pH 8.1 – 8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
Max size: 6″
Color Form: Black, White, Yellow
Diet: Carnivore
Compatibility: Not reef compatible
Origin: Indo Pacific
Family: Chaetodontidae
Lifespan: 20 years
Aquarist Experience Level: Intermediate
