🐠 Indian Vagabond Butterflyfish (Chaetodon decussatus)
A Silvery-White Body With a Fine Chevron Pattern • A Bold Black Eye Bar and Yellow Fin Accents • Hardy Once Settled
 
📋 The Indian Vagabond Butterflyfish, also known as the Black-Finned or Blackened Butterflyfish, has a silvery-white body covered in fine, intersecting grey lines forming a distinctive chevron pattern, a bold black bar through the eye, a mostly black rear portion, and bright yellow accents on the anal and caudal fins.
It comes from the Central and Western Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea and East Africa to India, Sri Lanka, and the Andaman Sea, found on coral-rich reefs and rubble zones, typically in pairs as adults. Every Indian Vagabond Butterflyfish we ship is feeding well, and clams on the half shell are a great first food for a new arrival settling in.
It's not reef safe, since it feeds naturally on stony coral polyps, fanworms, anemones, and small invertebrates, and will nip at corals and ornamental shrimp in an aquarium setting, making it best suited to a spacious, mature fish-only aquarium. Once acclimated, it's considered one of the hardier butterflyfish available. It reaches up to 20cm, so plan on at least 280L.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 Silvery-White Chevron Pattern: A bold black bar and yellow fin accents
💪 Hardy Once Established: One of the more resilient butterflyfish available
🪸 Not Reef Safe: Will nip at corals, fanworms, and ornamental shrimp
🍽️ Ships Feeding Well: Clams on the half shell help it settle in
👫 Naturally Pairs as Adults: Can be kept as a bonded pair in a large enough tank