🐠 Eightband Butterflyfish (Chaetodon octofasciatus)
A Bright Yellow Body Crossed by Eight Bold Black Bars • A Coral-Polyp Specialist • A Rewarding Challenge for a Patient Keeper
 
📋 The Eightband Butterflyfish, also known as the Eight-Striped Butterflyfish, is a striking small fish with a bright yellow body crossed by eight bold black vertical bars.
It comes from coral-rich lagoons and inshore reefs across the Indo-West Pacific, from the Maldives and Sri Lanka to the Great Barrier Reef, Solomon Islands, and China, typically found in pairs among branching Acropora coral as juveniles. In the wild it feeds predominantly on live coral polyps, mainly Acropora with a preference for Fungia, so it's a true specialist, and every Eightband Butterflyfish we ship is feeding well, confirmed on a workable diet before it leaves us. Younger specimens transition most readily to prepared foods, which is why we favour them for this species.
It's not reef safe, and it's best suited to a fish-only aquarium given both its coral-eating nature and its specialist feeding needs. It reaches up to 12cm, so plan on at least 208L.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 Bold Eight-Banded Pattern: A bright yellow body with eight black vertical bars
🪸 A Coral-Polyp Specialist: Feeds predominantly on Acropora in the wild
🍽️ Ships Feeding Well: Confirmed on a workable diet before it leaves us
🐟 Not Reef Safe: Will eat coral polyps and nip at clam mantles
🧠 A Rewarding Specialist: Best suited to keepers with coral-specialist feeding experience