Captive raised Chaetodon bennetti?

[yikai]

Chaetodon bennetti (Bennett's butterflyfish)

This is one of the nicest butterflyfish IMO, but is almost impossible to sustain in the home aquarium as it is an obligate coralivore. Meaning that majority of it's diet is comprised of corals and nothing else. Most frequently acropora.

In the wild, this butterflyfish feeds on acropora and some algae.

I don't support buying of such fishes as they don't survive in our tanks. However, i chanced upon an article on captive raised Chaetodon plebius. C. plebius, like bennetti, is also an obligate coralivore. However they collected a tiny juvenile plebius and trained it on prepared food. It is very difficult to wean coralivores onto prepared food and even so, large specimens do not have the ability to utilise nutrients from prepared food. Being coralivores, their digestive system is adapted to export nutrients from coral polyps. The plebius was then sold on liveaquaria diver's den.

However, there is evidence that juveniles of such fishes may adapt to prepared food when trained very early in their lives. Their body may adapt to prepared foods and are thus able to survive in our home tanks.

Thus, ladies and gentleman i'm pleased to announce, the first ever C. bennetti in captivity that accepts frozen mysis and new life spectrum pellets.

This specimen is just over 1 inch and it's still very juvenile. It's maintaining it's weight by eating nori, mysis and pellets. Let's hope that this fish will survive and be labelled as Singapore's first ever captive raised C. bennetti from juvenile.

[yikai]

I hope that this won't encourage anyone to rush to their nearest LFS and grab fishes like these. do reasearch before buying. Never purchase any obligate coralivores. It is extremely hard to get them feeding and even so, it's useless. Unless you try juveniles around 1 inch or smaller.

My bennett's butterfly is still a juvenile, hence the blue lines are not obvious. As they grow bigger, the blue lines become very obvious. Till now, have not heard of anyone successfully keeping this fish alive unless in a full blown SPS reef.

I hope my little baby will adapt to captivity and be the world's first.

[Terryz_]

[FuEl]

A more appropriate term is tank-raised.

[yikai]

hope it can last. sustainable aquatics and liveaquaria got their C. plebeius at 10mm and trained it to eat prepared food at that size.

i got mine at 1 inch.... there's alot of difference.

[Terryz_]

hope it can last. sustainable aquatics and liveaquaria got their C. plebeius at 10mm and trained it to eat prepared food at that size.

i got mine at 1 inch.... there's alot of difference.

10mm is quite impossible to find here... lol... 1 inch is a good size to start since it is eating pellets and mysis... Only wonder if this diet will be able to keep it for long term...

[yikai]

10mm is quite impossible to find here... lol... 1 inch is a good size to start since it is eating pellets and mysis... Only wonder if this diet will be able to keep it for long term...

hopefully see how. End of the day i will have to sell this guy off as it's an obligate SPS eater. which means my future SPS will probably shiver at the mention of this fish.

This is unlike most angels and other butterflies. this fish being a specialised feeder, will actually eat sps polyps.

if i manage to successfully keep this long term, i will sell it off. hehe. meanwhile it will stay with me.

benett is beautiful but not the nicest. if it were an ornate or plebeius will be so much better

[Terryz_]

hopefully see how. End of the day i will have to sell this guy off as it's an obligate SPS eater. which means my future SPS will probably shiver at the mention of this fish.

This is unlike most angels and other butterflies. this fish being a specialised feeder, will actually eat sps polyps.

if i manage to successfully keep this long term, i will sell it off. hehe. meanwhile it will stay with me.

If I can withstand the force of the dark side and not fall for sps, Will get this guy from you.. LOL...

[yikai]

If I can withstand the force of the dark side and not fall for sps, Will get this guy from you.. LOL...

sure haha. let's hope it last till then

it loves eating diatoms. it cleared all the brown diatom film growing on my rubber air pipe.

[kueytoc]

Where did U buy this cute specimen ?

Chaetodon bennetti (Bennett's butterflyfish)

This is one of the nicest butterflyfish IMO, but is almost impossible to sustain in the home aquarium as it is an obligate coralivore. Meaning that majority of it's diet is comprised of corals and nothing else. Most frequently acropora.

In the wild, this butterflyfish feeds on acropora and some algae.

I don't support buying of such fishes as they don't survive in our tanks. However, i chanced upon an article on captive raised Chaetodon plebius. C. plebius, like bennetti, is also an obligate coralivore. However they collected a tiny juvenile plebius and trained it on prepared food. It is very difficult to wean coralivores onto prepared food and even so, large specimens do not have the ability to utilise nutrients from prepared food. Being coralivores, their digestive system is adapted to export nutrients from coral polyps. The plebius was then sold on liveaquaria diver's den.

However, there is evidence that juveniles of such fishes may adapt to prepared food when trained very early in their lives. Their body may adapt to prepared foods and are thus able to survive in our home tanks.

Thus, ladies and gentleman i'm pleased to announce, the first ever C. bennetti in captivity that accepts frozen mysis and new life spectrum pellets.

This specimen is just over 1 inch and it's still very juvenile. It's maintaining it's weight by eating nori, mysis and pellets. Let's hope that this fish will survive and be labelled as Singapore's first ever captive raised C. bennetti from juvenile.

[yikai]

Where did U buy this cute specimen ?

they are very common in all LFS. but finding tiny healthy juveniles are not common. most of the time they come in too tiny and stavred, or too big to adapt. this guy was 1 inch, very full bodied and pecking on the diatoms and cyano in the holding tank.

i got this guy at ahbeng.

[Terryz_]

sure haha. let's hope it last till then

it loves eating diatoms. it cleared all the brown diatom film growing on my rubber air pipe.

Thats good!!!

:thumbsup:

[kueytoc]

Certainly a healthy agile fella...luv its SPOT.

they are very common in all LFS. but finding tiny healthy juveniles are not common. most of the time they come in too tiny and stavred, or too big to adapt. this guy was 1 inch, very full bodied and pecking on the diatoms and cyano in the holding tank.

i got this guy at ahbeng.

[holachantus]

hi all,

have bought a benneti from ah beng also,

mine been kept since early april n now had grown a bit,

got at a little over an inch,feeding nls pellet n mysis.

guess its one of nicest butterfly ard.

mine is a fowlr system.

[yikai]

hi all,

have bought a benneti from ah beng also,

mine been kept since early april n now had grown a bit,

got at a little over an inch,feeding nls pellet n mysis.

guess its one of nicest butterfly ard.

mine is a fowlr system.

congratulations! that's very good news to hear! looks like mine is not the first afterall

what was the size you got it at? if it's larger then that's fantastic news.

april to june is only 2 months plus. it's actually too early to tell. these fishes usually die even after eating pellets and mysis because their body cannot utilise the nutrients. however if yours is still alive and growing then it's a very good sign.

[holachantus]

size mentioned above,pls pray that it could go all the way,

thx for e compliment.

hope urs also do well bro.

[Ketchup]

good luck Lemon... nice fish

[yikai]

size mentioned above,pls pray that it could go all the way,

thx for e compliment.

hope urs also do well bro.

it's so nice to hear that someone is having this success too. actually, getting them to feed is not really an issue. but because these fishes are highly adapted to eating nothing but coral polyps, they don't get the nutrition they need from normal fishfood and usually just die of nutritional anomalies. Hopefully yours do well. 2 months is really too early to tell but it's a good good start.

Bennetti, although a coral feeder, is considered one of the "easier" ones. the ultimate hardcore one will be the ornate butterflyfish.

good luck Lemon... nice fish

thanks ketchup. good luck to holachantus too!

[yikai]

Since we're on the topic on obligate coralivores, these are the commonly offered butterflyfishes that should never be attempted in the aquarium. All of them may feed on prepared foods but will die unless offered a live constant supply of SPS polyps.

They may however, have a chance of success if purchased as tiny juveniles below 1 inch, and are readily accepting prepared foods. However don't attempt unless you are experienced and willing to dedicate a lot of time and effort into these fishes.

Never buy them casually. They belong in the wild.

[yikai]

Since we're on the topic on obligate coralivores, these are the commonly offered butterflyfishes that should never be attempted in the aquarium. All of them may feed on prepared foods but will die unless offered a live constant supply of SPS polyps.

They may however, have a chance of success if purchased as tiny juveniles below 1 inch, and are readily accepting prepared foods. However don't attempt unless you are experienced and willing to dedicate a lot of time and effort into these fishes.

Never buy them casually. They belong in the wild.

row 1 from left to right

- Chaetodon austriacus (melon butterflyfish)

- Chaetodon zanzibariensis (zanzibar butterflyfish)

- Chaetodon lunulatus (red-fin butterflyfish)

- Chaetodon andamanensis (andaman butterflyfish)

- Chaetodon trifasciatus

- Chaetodon baronessa

- Chaetodon melapterus (arabian butterflyfish)

- Chaetodon octofasciatus (eight banded butterflyfish)

Row 2 from left to right

- Chaetodon triangulatum

- Chaetodon meyeri (scrawled butterflyfish)

- Chaetodon bennetti (bennett's butterflyfish)

Row 3 from left to right

- Chaetodon larvatus (hooded butterflyfish)

- Chaetodon reticulatus

- Chaetodon speculum (oval-spot/mirror butterflyfish)

- Chaetodon trifascialis (chevron butterflyfish)

- Chaetodon capistratus (four-eye butterflyfish)

- Chaetodon ornatissimus (ornate butterflyfish)

- Chaetodon plebeius (blue-spot butterflyfish)

[bigbird]

hi all,

have bought a benneti from ah beng also,

mine been kept since early april n now had grown a bit,

got at a little over an inch,feeding nls pellet n mysis.

guess its one of nicest butterfly ard.

mine is a fowlr system.

Credit must be given to holachantus. His vast experience and knowledge enable him to make one of the most difficult to keep in captive butterfly fish to survive and feeding.

Visited him yesterday, his tank make me feel like converting my 280 gallon fresh water to angel fish again.

[bigbird]

Since we're on the topic on obligate coralivores, these are the commonly offered butterflyfishes that should never be attempted in the aquarium. All of them may feed on prepared foods but will die unless offered a live constant supply of SPS polyps.

They may however, have a chance of success if purchased as tiny juveniles below 1 inch, and are readily accepting prepared foods. However don't attempt unless you are experienced and willing to dedicate a lot of time and effort into these fishes.

Never buy them casually. They belong in the wild.

Bro Lemon2, your picture are poisoning. Haha, very tempting leh!

[yikai]

Credit must be given to holachantus. His vast experience and knowledge enable him to make one of the most difficult to keep in captive butterfly fish to survive and feeding.

Visited him yesterday, his tank make me feel like converting my 280 gallon fresh water to angel fish again.

yes! it's definitely not easy to keep them alive. :welldone:

bro bigbird what are you waiting for? i'm sure you're dying to play angels again hahahha

[bigbird]

yes! it's definitely not easy to keep them alive. :welldone:

bro bigbird what are you waiting for? i'm sure you're dying to play angels again hahahha

Haha, yah la, hand a little itchy. This time must plan properly.

[holachantus]

Credit must be given to holachantus. His vast experience and knowledge enable him to make one of the most difficult to keep in captive butterfly fish to survive and feeding.

Visited him yesterday, his tank make me feel like converting my 280 gallon fresh water to angel fish again.

go for it,"jiayo"big bird!!!

only trying my luck on benneti.

paiseh what u mentioned.