Butterfly Compatibility Chart

[Fishfreak2009]

Butterfly Compatibility Chart

First I'd like to point out that this is not extremely broken down with specific complexes as with the Fairy Wrasse Compatibility Chart seen on Reef2Reef and elsewhere. While I do group some species by relation, it is important to note that Butterflyfish phylogeny Is not in the same place that Fairy wrasses are at, and that there is a lot of debate between scientists regarding such, even with the limited DNA analysis that has been done. Grouping has been done using phylogeny off Wikipedia to hopefully make this a bit easier for everyone.

Next, I'd like to point out that this genus has plenty of pitfalls. They are one of the families of fish still most commonly collected with cyanide for the aquarium trade, and most specimens collected that way are doomed. They also suffer from starvation between collection and ending up in your tank, and a skinny specimen often will not recover. Even a fat butterfly should be fed a minimum of 2-3x daily, to keep them healthy and allow them to graze as they do in the wild. Because of their specialized teeth and all their spines, along with their delicate mouths, these fish are prone to injury, and an injury to the mouth is usually fatal. Wounds to fins and to the body seem more prone to bacterial infection than many other species. They are also prone to Uronema, marine ich (Cryptocaryon), marine velvet (Amyloodinium), and flukes, especially the Neobenedenia spp. Many hobbyists on this forum, myself included, have found them to have flukes resistant to praziquantel, and as such, alternative methods of treatment like hyposalinity and formalin are necessary. These fish also tend to be more sensitive to copper products, especially when first introduced. Some of these Butterflies are also deep water fish, and will do much better in a cool or cold water, dimly lit aquarium; not the traditional reef tank most marine aquarists keep.

Another point to consider would be in relation to diet. Many of the butterflies available in the hobby almost always die. They are obligate corallivores in the wild, some only eating one or two species of corals. These should only be attempted by someone already familiar with Butterfly husbandry, quarantine methods, and ultimately willing to feed those live corals, should they be unable to wean those specimens onto a prepared diet. Any butterfly with an exclamation point following the name should be really thought about before attempting, as these are fish that traditionally are doomed to die in this hobby, being obligate corallivores.

As a general rule, the more similar the butterfly, the more likely they would be to fight with one another, with certain exceptions being those naturally found in schools in the wild. As such, I do not recommend keeping more than one per species, unless purchased as a mated pair or if accomodations can be made to split them if they do not get along. Again, the exception being those naturally found in schools, which will be marked with an asterisk, and in which case, adding multiple specimens of the same species at the same time will increase your chances of success. I will attempt to grade them on interspecies aggression in regards to other butterflies of different species, based on my experiences as well as those of others. The most boisterous will be red, with the bold but not as aggressive in orange, those less aggressive yellow, and the most passive and most likely to be bullied in green. Some of these fish may be more aggressive towards others once established, but may initially be bullied by any existing butterflies, especially when it comes to food. When keeping multiples, I always recommend adding 2-3 at a time to help spread any potential aggression. Adding a few dithers like peaceful wrasses (i.e. Cirrhilabrus or Paracheilinus), cardinalfish, or peaceful damsels (like most Pomacentrus or the smaller Chrysiptera) goes a long way towards distracting bullies as well. I'd also add to this that you definitely need to research the individual species you are looking to keep as far as compatibility with other species. Some may be bullied (like established large angels or tangs beating up or even killing butterflies added to their tank), while some might bully others mercilessly (like Johnrandallia nigrirostris or Heniochus acuminatus will do to large fish, rays, and sharks in an attempt to clean them).

Lastly, I'd like to point out that I will only be including species I have either kept, seen for sale, or seen others keeping over the years. Those fish that are not collected will not be included.

Key:
Red: Bold, Most Aggressive towards other butterflies
Orange: Bold, semi-aggressive towards other butterflies
Yellow: Tend to be more relaxed, semi-aggressive towards other butterflies
Green: Very relaxed, peaceful towards other butterflies, usually shy
! Almost guaranteed to die due to diet requirements, attempt at your own risk
* Usually get along with or even school with others of the same species when added to an aquarium at the same time

The Rhombochaetodon Subgenus:
Chaetodon xanthurus
Chaetodon paucifasciatus
Chaetodon madagaskariensis
Chaetodon mertensii
Chaetodon argenatus
Chaetodon blackburnii
Chaetodon fremblii

The Lepidochaetodon Subgenus:
Chaetodon daedalma
Chaetodon interrupts
Chaetodon kleinii
Chaetodon litus
Chaetodon nippon
Chaetodon smithi
Chaetodon trichorus
Chaetodon unimaculatus

The Exornator Subgenus:
Chaetodon citrinellus*
Chaetodon miliaris*
Chaetodon dolosus
Chaetodon guentheri
Chaetodon guttatissimus
Chaetodon multicinctus
Chaetodon quadrimaculatus
Chaetodon pelewensis
Chaetodon punctatofasciatus
Chaetodon sedentarius

The Roaops Subgenus:
Chaetodon flavocoronatus
Chaetodon burgessi
Chaetodon declivis
Chaetodon tinkeri
Chaetodon mitratus

The Citharoedus Subgenus:
Chaetodon meyeri!
Chaetodon ornatissimus!
Chaetodon reticulatus!

The Corallochaetodon Subgenus:
Chaetodon austriacus!
Chaetodon lunulatus!
Chaetodon melapterus!
Chaetodon trifasciatus!

The Discochaetodon Subgenus:
Chaetodon aureofasciatus!
Chaetodon rainfordii!
Chaetodon octofasciatus!
Chaetodon tricinctus!

The Gonochaetodon Subgenus:
Chaetodon baronessa!
Chaetodon triangulum!
Chaetodon larvatus!

The Megaprotodon Subgenus:
Chaetodon trifascialis!

The Tetrachaetodon Subgenus:
Chaetodon andamanensis!
Chaetodon zanzibarensis!
Chaetodon speculum!
Chaetodon plebius!
Chaetodon bennetti!

The Rhabdophorus Group:
Chaetodon auriga
Chaetodon vagabundus
Chaetodon decussatus
Chaetodon falcula
Chaetodon ulietensis
Chaetodon adiergastos
Chaetodon auripes
Chaetodon collare
Chaetodon ephippium
Chaetodon xanthocephalus
Chaetodon wiebeli
Chaetodon semilarvatus
Chaetodon semeion
Chaetodon rafflesi
Chaetodon selene
Chaetodon flavirostris
Chaetodon lunula
Chaetodon fasciatus
Chaetodon gardineri
Chaetodon leucopleura
Chaetodon lineolatus
Chaetodon melannotus
Chaetodon mesoleucos
Chaetodon nigropunctatus
Chaetodon ocellicaudus
Chaetodon oxycephalus
Chaetodon pictus

The Robustus/Senso Stricto Group:
Chaetodon capistratus!
Chaetodon ocellatus
Chaetodon striatus
Chaetodon robustus

The Genus Heniochus:
Heniochus acuminatus*
Heniochus diphreutes*
Heniochus monoceros*
Heniochus varius*
Heniochus chrysostomus*
Heniochus intermedius*
Heniochus pleurotaenia*
Heniochus singularius*

The Genus Prognathodes:
Prognathodes aculeatus
Prognathodes aya
Prognathodes brasiliensis
Prognathodes marcellae

The Genus Forcipiger:
Forcipiger flavissimus
Forcipiger longirostris

The Genus Johnrandallia:
Johnrandallia nigrirostris*

The Genus Hemitaurichthys:
Hemitaurichthys multispinosus*
Hemitaurichthys polylepis*
Hemitaurichthys thompsoni*
Hemitaurichthys zoster*

The Genus Chelmon:
Chelmon rostratus
Chelmon muelleri
Chelmon marginalis

The Genus Coradion:
Coradion altivelis
Coradion calendula
Coradion chrysozonus
Coradion melanopus

The Genus Chelmonops:
Chelmonops curiosus
Chelmonops truncatus

The Genus Parachaetodon:
Parachaetodon ocellatus

The Genus Roa
Roa modesta!
Roa excelsa!

Here are a few of my sources for taxonomy, if anyone is interested.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterflyfish
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaetodon

 

[Slocke]

Wow awesome article. I should try again soon. Wish i could get a Chaetodon ornatissimus.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Wow awesome article. I should try again soon. Wish i could get a Chaetodon ornatissimus.

You should definitely try another butterfly or 3.

Chaetodon ornatissimus is such a hard one. Mine had just started eating, but then developed bacterial wounds and stopped eating, then quickly passed away. If I can find another specimen that isn't already half starved and has no visible signs of trauma/disease (even just a few scales slightly out of place), then I will probably attempt it.

Honestly it seems to be a common trend with butterflies, and especially the obligate corallivores. Here's a photo of a Chaetodon triangulum I attempted last May. This wound started as 3 scales that just looked slightly out of place, almost like an old scar that had healed when I had purchased the fish. It was eating frozen mashed into coral skeletons, and live Acropora frags, and was in relatively good body condition when it died, so starvation was not the cause of death.

 

[Slocke]

I saw C ornatissimus in the wild and they are so pretty in person and based on their numbers certainly are doing better in the wild. Shame they don’t do well in captivity.

My issue is I rarely see butterflies at my LFS except CBBs and I don’t like the look of those.

Maybe a C collare? Or maybe an auriga would better suit my boisterous fish tank.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

I saw C ornatissimus in the wild and they are so pretty in person and based on their numbers certainly are doing better in the wild. Shame they don’t do well in captivity.

My issue is I rarely see butterflies at my LFS except CBBs and I don’t like the look of those.

Maybe a C collare? Or maybe an auriga would better suit my boisterous fish tank.

With your current stock, I'd think C. auriga, C. xanthocephalus, C. ephippium, C. fasciatus, and C. lunula would all be good choices.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

You should definitely try another butterfly or 3.

Chaetodon ornatissimus is such a hard one. Mine had just started eating, but then developed bacterial wounds and stopped eating, then quickly passed away. If I can find another specimen that isn't already half starved and has no visible signs of trauma/disease (even just a few scales slightly out of place), then I will probably attempt it.

Honestly it seems to be a common trend with butterflies, and especially the obligate corallivores. Here's a photo of a Chaetodon triangulum I attempted last May. This wound started as 3 scales that just looked slightly out of place, almost like an old scar that had healed when I had purchased the fish. It was eating frozen mashed into coral skeletons, and live Acropora frags, and was in relatively good body condition when it died, so starvation was not the cause of death.

Visually, that could be Uronema.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thanks for the article. One thing I've found though is that while Hemitaurichthys polylepis forms loose shoals, it is very difficult to add new fish to an existing group. We've tried that multiple times and found that the existing fish harassed and killed the new ones.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Thanks for the article. One thing I've found though is that while Hemitaurichthys polylepis forms loose shoals, it is very difficult to add new fish to an existing group. We've tried that multiple times and found that the existing fish harassed and killed the new ones.

Absolutely! I always recommend adding schooling butterflies at the same time, never trying to add a new fish of the same species to existing fish. I've had Heniochus do the same. Had to remove the new fish to avoid it being killed.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Visually, that could be Uronema.

Totally agree, which is part of the reason I try and bleach quarantines between batches of fish. This fish had an initial formalin bath, but no further treatments as it did poorly with the formalin bath. The same store frequently has chromis and anthias with visible uronema. I just didn't have my microscope to confirm when this fish passed (had it out for maintenance) and didn't bother saving the body. I usually do necropsies when something dies and I'm not sure, but cause of death was obvious enough, and whether uronema or bacterial, it was alone in quarantine so didn't cross contaminate.

 

[danenelsen]

This is an amazing article! Thanks for creating/sharing it!

 

[Big E]

Fyi---

Chaetodon collare
Chaetodon semilarvatas
Chaetodon adiergastos

Can all be kept in groups. I have not kept adiergastos but they do group in the wild. I wish these would come in more often. They seem common, easy to care for and would probably be inexpensive.

The other two above are actually easier to keep in groups than trying to create a pair that may or may not bond. It's best to let them sort it out on their own.

It was also easier to keep them in a 180g or larger.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Fyi---

Chaetodon collare
Chaetodon semilarvatas
Chaetodon adiergastos

Can all be kept in groups. I have not kept adiergastos but they do group in the wild. I wish these would come in more often. They seem common, easy to care for and would probably be inexpensive.

The other two above are actually easier to keep in groups than trying to create a pair that may or may not bond. It's best to let them sort it out on their own.

It was also easier to keep them in a 180g or larger.

They can, but also have higher chances of fighting than other butterflies that are marked as schooling fish. From my experience with both C. collare and C. semilarvatus, I have seen individuals get along for 6 months, then start a WWE tournament in aquariums. Same with C. kleini and C. miliaris. It is also usually much more difficult to find multiple healthy, unblemished specimens to attempt making a school then it is for species like Heniochus or Hemitaurichthys, which are usually imported and sold in groups.

The same argument could be made for many other species, like Chaetodon lunula, C. auriga, C. ulietensis, C. miliaris, even C. ornatissimus which normally are extremely territorial and found strictly as adult mated pairs. All are occasionally or even frequently found in large schools, and can potentially do very well as a pair or group in a home aquarium. However, as stated earlier, many fight as they get older, due to limited space, food, etc. They are more likely to continue to get along with a different species than with another member of the same species. And obviously large systems 500+ gallons would have a huge advantage towards success with this. But again, this is written for the average aquarist with a decent sized (100+ gallon) system, who is looking at keeping a couple butterflyfish.

Much like people get away with multiple specimens of the same species of Wrasse in captivity in the same system, some do the same with butterflies. In the long-term (1-5, maybe even 10 years down the road with the right care), odds are it isn't going to work in the average home aquarium.

For the aquarist who has that behemoth aquarium and can source multiple healthy specimens, it can be an extremely rewarding risk, but with so many beautiful butterflies, why increase the risk when you have so many other options available?

Pics off google of various butterfly schools.

 

[Big E]

The collare and semis are my personal experiences and they were kept together for years.

I do agree that you have to be prepared to move one if it's getting bullied or not accepted but that only happened when they weren't all introduced at the same time.

In some of those pictures you show the only species that looks like a group schooling/shoaling together are the adiergastos. The others look like they came from everywhere and it's more of a feeding frenzy.

In other words some actually might have been staged for the pictures and not natural

 

[litsoh]

Oh shoot C. auriga is listed as red? I've had mine in with a Yellow Longnose from the start and they seem to get along, in fact they would ignore each other for the most part. The YLN has since passed so here's hoping I didn't jinx myself by reading this before the replacement YLN comes in

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Oh shoot C. auriga is listed as red? I've had mine in with a Yellow Longnose from the start and they seem to get along, in fact they would ignore each other for the most part. The YLN has since passed so here's hoping I didn't jinx myself by reading this before the replacement YLN comes in

Might work out just fine. Chaetodon and Forcipiger usually do fine together, since they are from two totally different genus.

Hope it all works out!

 

[Fishfreak2009]

The collare and semis are my personal experiences and they were kept together for years.

I do agree that you have to be prepared to move one if it's getting bullied or not accepted but that only happened when they weren't all introduced at the same time.

In some of those pictures you show the only species that looks like a group schooling/shoaling together are the adiergastos. The others look like they came from everywhere and it's more of a feeding frenzy.

In other words some actually might have been staged for the pictures and not natural

I know ulietensis and miliaris are frequently seen in large shoals in the wild, however things still happen. I personally had a pair of miliaris together for 2.5 years in a 6'x2'x2' 180 without issue, upgraded them to an 8'x4'x19" (LxWxH) 380 gallon, and they decided they hated one another.

And I've seen similar experiences with local reefers keeping C. collare and C. semifasciatus. And again, at least in SE Michigan, it is extremely difficult to find multiple healthy fish of the same species to add at once to a group.

 

[Big E]

I didn't say buy a pair............I said you have to buy in groups and let them pair up naturally on their own. I know it's not easy or inexpensive buying a group but it can be done.
I'm specifically speaking about those two species.

The biggest issue now is finding a good source.

 

[WalkerLoves_TheOcean]

Great article!