🐠 Arrowhead Soapfish (Belonoperca chabanaudi)
A Slender Dusky Blue-Grey Body With a Yellow Tail Patch • Hovers Upside Down in Caves • A Rare Predatory Basslet
 
📋 The Arrowhead Soapfish, also known as Chabanaud's Soapfish, has a slender, elongated body in dusky blue-grey to blackish tones, a bright yellow saddle-like patch near the base of the tail, and a large, blue-edged black spot on the dorsal fin.
It lives on steep, coral-rich reef slopes from East Africa to Samoa, north to the Ryukyu Islands and south to New Caledonia, where it's often seen hovering, sometimes upside down, in caves and along dark walls. It's rarely seen in the aquarium trade, and every Arrowhead Soapfish we ship is feeding well, on live glass shrimp or small live fish to begin with.
It's not reef safe: it will eat any fish or invertebrate small enough to fit in its mouth, though it generally leaves corals alone. It reaches up to 15cm and does best in a calm, dimly lit, established tank with plenty of caves. Like all soapfish, it can release a skin toxin called grammistin when severely stressed, which can affect other fish in the tank, so keep the aquarium calm, handle it gently, and never add shipping water to your display.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 Dusky Blue-Grey With a Yellow Tail Patch: A slender, distinctive predator
🦇 Hovers Upside Down: A cave-dwelling habit that's fascinating to watch
💎 Rarely Seen in the Trade: A distinctive find for experienced keepers
🌙 A Calm, Dim-Tank Species: Loves caves and quiet
🪸 Not Reef Safe: Eats fish and invertebrates it can fit in its mouth, but leaves corals alone