Butterfly fish is a representative of the bristle-tooth family. She is a business card of a coral reef. The body structure has a specific, highly compressed laterally. The head is small, the mouth is small with extended lips, the teeth are thin bristle-shaped, in some species their tips are three-pointed. The body is covered with small scales. The dorsal fin is not divided, stretches along the entire body, in some species its front part is elongated and resembles feathers.
Representatives of this family are distinguished by multicolor color with a predominance of yellow, black, silver and brown tones with bright blue, red spots or stripes. Due to the unusual color, this creature was
called the butterfly fish. The photo well demonstrates the extraordinary brightness of its color.
Contrast color is a way of masking: against the background of a coral reef, the contours of the body are thus erased. Age-related dimorphism (difference in color of adults and fry) is absent. The fish are small in size and rarely exceed 25 cm in length. There are fish whose body height is longer than the length, for example, the species Heniochus.
Butterfly fish live in tropical seas in the coastal strip. Preference is given to coral reefs and rocky outcrops, as well as parts of the seas with algae. Butterfly fish do not migrate, settling on one of the reefs, spends all their life near it. Some individuals even have a permanent "home" in the cleft they like, and when relatives move closer to the "house" they actively drive them away. Surprisingly, they do not react to fish of other species of the coral community.
Butterfly fish is very nimble and mobile, it can dramatically change the direction of movement. In case of danger, when approaching
predatory fish, it hides in caves and cavities of the reef. Maybe she can "fly", jumping out of the water, glide over the surface, catching insects. When “flying”, the pectoral fins do not cling to the body, but sometimes fold up.
Sea butterfly fish lead a solitary lifestyle or swim in a small group of 2-3 individuals. They never form large flocks. They feed on various invertebrates, removing them from crevices and collecting from the surface of reefs or eating large fish from the skin .
The meat of these creatures is edible and, they say, very tasty. But they can be poisoned, because if the fish fed on tentacles of poisonous actinidia, then the toxins accumulated in the tissues. Severe poisoning - ciguater - can cause death.
Butterfly fish is very popular in reef aquariums. Several species of these fish can coexist peacefully under the condition of a large aquarium. Moreover, they need to be populated at the same time. Otherwise, old-timers will expel newcomers. They get along with large invertebrates in the aquarium, and they perceive small ones only as food. Since butterfly fish like to jump out, the aquarium must be partially covered with glass.
The complexity of the content in home aquariums is that the water needs salt water, special food, mostly live. But if there is a desire to contain precisely these fish, then you can overcome any difficulties and even achieve their breeding. In contrast to difficulties, the opportunity to observe the behavior of these unusual creatures.