Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus)

Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Longnose Butterflyfish or Forceps Butterflyfish is

common throughout tropical Indo Pacific waters.   Its range in the Indo Pacific extends from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Hawaiian and Easter Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island and throughout Micronesia. In the Eastern Pacific, its range extends from southern Baja California, Mexico to the Galapagos and Revillagigedo Islands.

Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish are a monogamous, benthopelagic species that can be encountered alone, in pairs, or in small groups of up to 5 individuals in the lagoons and exposed seaward reefs of their range at depths from 3 to over 475 feet, where they feed on a variety of hydroids, fish eggs, small crustaceans especially the tube feet of echinoderms, pedicilaria of sea urchins, and polychaete tentacles.

Adult Forcipiger flavissimus are frequently found paired together occupying their territory of the reef that they staked out for themselves.

Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus)

Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish have a laterally compressed, bright yellow body that extends from the back of the head to the caudal peduncle, and a thin, elongated snout. The top half of the head extending to about half way through the eye is black; the bottom half is a silvery white color. The dorsal, pectoral, and anal fins are predominantly yellow with transparent edges and the caudal fin is transparent. They have a black eye spot located just below the caudal peduncle, on the anal fin.

The Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus) is easily misidentified as the Big Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger longirostris).

Except for the longer nose, the black cluster of dots on the chest, and the black head color extending to cover the entire eye of Forcipiger longirostris, they are almost identical.

Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish are active swimmers and best housed in a well established reef or FOWLR aquarium of at least 125 gallon capacity with a sand or fine gravel substrate, plenty of mature live rock arranged into caves, crevices, and overhangs for them to hide and graze among, and lots of free swimming space.

Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish are a peaceful species that get along well with other peaceful species.  They are very territorial with conspecifics and similar looking species but are usually peaceful with adequate tank space.

Although Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish are considered reef safe, they may nip at coral polyps and sessile invertebrates. We recommend not keeping them with sessile invertebrates.

Forcipiger flavissimus have not been successfully bred in an aquarium environment.   They form monogamous pairs that spawn in relation to the lunar cycles. Their small, spherical, buoyant eggs hatch out in 28 to 30 hours.   Like the Margined Butterflyfish, a bony plate forms over the head area of the larvae to protect the from predation. The larvae remain pelagic for quite a long while before they develop into juvenile fry which is why there are no reported cases of breeding by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts.

In their natural habitat, Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish feed on a variety of benthic organisms including small crustaceans, hydroids, fish eggs, the tube feet of echinoderms, the pedicilaria of sea urchins, and polychaete tentacles. In an aquarium environment, they are not finicky eaters and will accept a wide variety of meaty foods like frozen Mysis shrimp, chopped shrimp, chopped clam, crustacean meat, and frozen preparations.

Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus) are readily available to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts from a variety of online suppliers and specialty fish shops at prices that vary according to size and area of collection.

Approximate purchase sizes: Small: 2″ to 3-1/4″; Medium:3-1/4″ to 4-1/2″; Large: 4-1/2″ to 5-1/2″; XLarge: 5-1/2″ to 6-1/2″

Currently prices for small specimens start at around $79.99 for small Sri Lanka specimens, to $109.99 for medium specimens.

Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus)

Minimum Tank Size: 125 gallons
Aquarium Type: FOLR or Reef
Care Level: Moderate
Temperament: Peaceful
Aquarium Hardiness: Moderately Hardy
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8 – 12°, pH 8.1 – 8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
Max size: 8.7 ″
Color Form: Black, White, Yellow, Silver
Diet: Carnivore
Compatibility: Reef with Caution
Origin: Indo and Eastern Pacific
Family: Chaetodontidae
Lifespan: 5 to 10 Years
Aquarist Experience Level: Intermediate