Butterflyfish
Pyramid Butterflyfish
Hemitaurichthys polylepis
A true open-water planktivore that shoals in large aggregations over current-swept outer reef slopes in the wild, and one of the very few butterflyfish that is genuinely reef-safe when kept well fed. It's peaceful, hardy and does best in a small group added to the tank together, though shy singles will still settle in given plenty of live rock cover. Underfeeding can push it to nibble soft corals, so keep it on a steady planktonic diet.
Best in a shoal of 3+.
Something look wrong? Report an errorTankmates
How Pyramid Butterflyfish gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.
Best kept apart
A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.
Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Pyramid Butterflyfish.
Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Pyramid Butterflyfish.
Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Pyramid Butterflyfish.
Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pyramid Butterflyfish and may harass it.
Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pyramid Butterflyfish and may harass it.
Panther GrouperPanther Grouper (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pyramid Butterflyfish and may harass it.Good tankmates
No conflicts — a few popular ones to start with.
Percula Clownfish
Maroon Clownfish
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Radiant Wrasse
Pajama Cardinalfish
Green Chromis
Blue Damsel
Yellowtail Damsel
Flame Angelfish
Coral Beauty Angelfish
Lemonpeel Angelfish