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This fish is known as
Pyramid Butterflyfish, Brushytoothed Butterflyfish and the correct latin name is
Hemitaurichthys Polylepis. It belongs to the
Butterfly Fish family. (
e) It's origin is
Pacific Ocean. (
e)
Character and suggestions regarding care
A peaceful species.
Pyramid Butterflyfish can grow up to 18 cm what is approximately 7 inches. So 1 specimen requires at least 2160cm
2 of water surface what is approximately 334 square inch. We recommend you to keep it in fish tanks which are medium. (
e) Medium aquariums have at least 113 Litres (30 US Gallons). Large aquariums have at least 265 Litres (70 US Gallons). Very large aquariums have at least 700 Litres (185 US Gallons).
It is easy to keep the Pyramid Butterflyfish. (
e) The
specific gravity (SG) should be between 1,020 and 1,025, the temperature between 23°C (73.4°F) and 26°C (78.8°F). The pH level should vary between 8.0 and 8.3 what is usual for marine fish.
Even though most of butterfly fish pick on corals, these are the most coral-friendly fish of the butterfly fish family. If you feed them well, they will not eat corals. But when they are hungry, or when they have not wide variety of food, they will pick on fine polyps. In the nature, they mostly eat plankton. Pyramid Butterflyfish forms shoals in the nature, but in a tank, they do not like the company of each other much. It is best to keep more of them in really big tanks. In a tank, they need both
hiding places – where they can sleep and swimming places.
This fish is omnivorous, so it will eat plant based food, but also small crustaceans. I would recommend to buy smaller fish, because they can get accustomed to the aquarium easier than adults.
Thanks to
Kenneth Leonard for the pictures. Copyright Ken Leonard.

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Document modified on Thu Feb 5 18:28:07 MST 2009
Document created on Thu Feb 5 18:28:07 MST 2009
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"Pyramid Butterflyfish." saltwater.aqua-fish.net. Thu Feb 5 18:28:07 MST 2009.<br /><br />
Aqua-Fish.Net. Fri Sep 3 2:56:35 MDT 2010 <a href="http://www.aqua-fish.net/saltwater/?pyramid-butterflyfish" >http://www.aqua-fish.net/saltwater/?pyramid-butterflyfish</a>.
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