Banded Butterflyfish (Chaetodon striatus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Butterbun, the Portuguese Butterfly, School Mistress, and Banded Mariposa are found in tropical western Atlantic waters from Brazil to Bermuda and ranges from Massachusetts in the United States to Santa Catarina in Brazi; including the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda, and Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago.
Although Banded Butterflyfish are normally encountered singly or in pairs on the coral reefs of their range; they are occasionally observed in small shoals of around twenty individuals feeding on plankton in the water column at depths to around 65 feet. They are a diurnal species that are active during the day and sleep in cover at night.
Chaetodon striatus are a benthic species that have been recorded by divers at depths up to 225 feet where they feed on coral polyps, polychaete worms, tube worms, sea anemones, small invertebrates, crustaceans, and fish eggs.
In shallower depths, Banded Butterflyfish occasionally perform the duties of cleaner fish by removing parasites from parrot fish, grunts, surgeon fish, etc.
The Banded Butterflyfish has a silvery white body overlaid with small squiggly horizontal black lines, a vertical black bar that passes through the eye, two wider vertical black bars at mid-body, and a third wider bar that starts on the rear of the dorsal fin and continues to the caudal peduncle. The caudal, dorsal and pelvic fins are black with white edging and yellow highlights.
Juvenile Banded Butterflyfish have distinctly darker colors that
are brownish yellow instead of white, and a large, ringed, black eye spot at the base of their dorsal fins to confuse predators.
The Banded Butterflyfish is best housed in a mature FOWLR aquarium of at least 125 gallon capacity with a crushed coralline gravel substrate, lots of live rock arranged into crevices, caves, and overhangs for them to hide among, and plenty of free swimming space.
Banded Mariposa are not reef safe. They eat (LPS) coral polyps, nibbles at clams including all Tridacna species, relish tubeworms, and consume all crustaceans.
Banded Butterflyfish should only be housed with other peaceful species that do not compete with them for food.
Chaetodon striatus have not been bred in an aqurium environment.
Banded Butterflyfish are broadcast spawners that form monogamous pairs to breed. The female releases 3,000-4,000 small pelagic eggs into the water column at the same time the male releases his sperm to fertilize them. The fertilized eggs hatch in a day into transparent tholichthys larvae that have a bony armor sheath on the head. The larvae float along the surface with the current along with other plankton until they reach the size of a dime, at which time they settle to the bottom during the night to eventually become juveniles.
In their natural habitat, Banded Butterflyfish have a variety of feeding strategies that can be challenging to replicate in an aquarium environment.
Some Banded Butterflyfish hunt for tiny plankton in schools over the reef; others singly or in pairs forage on the reef surface for crustaceans, while others engage in cleaning behavior with larger fish.
Because Chaetodon striatus mainly eat coral polyps, Zooplankton, and crustaceans; problems are usually encountered trying to provide them with alternative foods.
Initially, it is essential to have a variety of several suitable food types on hand such as live Mysis shrimp, artemia, larger shrimp, small crabs, Cyclops, copepods, live mussels, and even living corals to keep them alive. These should be fed several times a day in small portions until the fish become accustomed to alternative types of food.
Offering a half of a live mussel or clam in the shell or pressing some soft foods into the crevices of a piece of old dead coral can sometimes encourage finicky eaters to begin feeding.
Banded Butterflyfish (Chaetodon striatus) are commonly available to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts from a variety of online retailers, wholesalers, and transhippers at the following approximate purchase sizes: Small: 1.5-2″; Medium: over 2-3″, Large: over 3-4.5″
Atlantic caught specimens start at around $34.99 for small, to around $39.99 for large.
Minimum Tank Size: 125 gallons
Aquarium Type: FOWLR
Care Level: Difficult
Temperament: Peaceful
Aquarium Hardiness: Average
Water Conditions: 70°F to 79°F, dKH 8 – 12°, pH 8.1 – 8.5, sg 1.020-1.026
Max size: 6.3″
Color Form: White, Black
Diet: Carnivore
Compatibility: Not reef safe
Origin: Atlantic, Brazil
Family: Chaetodontidae
Lifespan: 5-7 years
Aquarist Experience Level: Expert