🐠 Humphead Bannerfish (Heniochus varius)
A Brown Body With Triangular White Stripes • A Pair of Bony "Horns" Above the Eyes • Shy and Docile When First Introduced, Becomes More Confident
 
📋 The Humphead Bannerfish, also known as the Horned Bannerfish or Brown Heniochus, has a distinctive brown body marked with two thin white stripes forming a triangular pattern along its sides, and a pair of bony "horns" above the eyes that give the species its common name.
It comes from a wide range across the central Indo-Pacific, including Fiji and Indonesia, inhabiting reef environments to depths of around 30 metres. Every Humphead Bannerfish we ship is feeding well.
This is a hardy, adaptable species that does well in aquarium life, and is naturally social, sometimes forming small groups both in the wild and in captivity. It can be quarrelsome toward its own kind and occasionally other fish, and is a shy, docile species when first introduced, so caution is needed with more aggressive tankmates. This species is not reef safe, and has been documented nipping at sessile invertebrates and corals, so it's worth watching it carefully if considering it for a reef tank. This species revels in swimming and needs ample open space to feel settled. It reaches up to 19cm, so a 470L tank suits it well.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 Brown Body With Triangular White Stripes: A distinctive, characterful butterflyfish
🦄 Bony Head Horns: A striking natural feature above the eyes
😌 Shy and Docile at First: Needs careful tankmate selection
⚠️ Not Reef Safe: Documented nipping at sessile invertebrates and corals
💪 Hardy: Adapts well to aquarium life once settled