Klein's Butterfly (Indian Ocean)

The charming Klein's butterfly combines bright colors and active personality, and is also one of the easiest to keep of all the butterflyfish. Two dark stripes run across its face, one over its lips and the other over its eyes and down through its pelvic fins, and another fainter stripe behind its pectoral fins. Its snowy white body becomes bright daffodil yellow at its mid body and tail. Each scale is decorated with a diamond shaped watermark. It grows up to 5.5 inches and needs an aquarium of at least 75 gallons. It is regularly imported from Bali.

The Klein's butterfly is quite hardy and is a great first butterfly fish. It is normally quite peaceful, and if added first it may be kept with aggressive tank mates. It gets along well with its own kind and with other butterflyfish as long as they are all added at the same time. Butterflyfish do not show differences between males and females. They are related to angelfish, but lack the angel's distinctive cheek spines.

A butterflyfish's favorite food is an anemone, so they should not be kept in the same aquarium with one unless it is guarded by aggressive clownfish. The butterflyfish knows to attack the anemone on its mouth, which does not sting, and will make a quick meal of it. Because of this behavior this species is often employed to rid an aquarium of pest anemones such as Aiptasia. Many species of butterfly also benefit from filamentous algae in the aquarium to graze on.

This species may nip on hard corals and leathers but not usually noxious soft corals such as mushrooms. It may eat clam mantles, sponges, and feather dusters. They do not typically bother other types of invertebrates such as crustaceans. They feel most secure when there is plenty of live rock to hide in, as well as open space for swimming. This species is easy to feed on a variety of meaty and herbivore preparations such as frozen Mysis shrimp, half shell clams, marine algae and Spirulina; it should be fed 2-3 times a day.