Chaetodon baronessa
Chaetodon baronessa occurs naturally in the tropical waters of the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans. The fish can be found in quiet lagoons along the outer slopes of coral reefs, at depths of 3 to 15 m. Fish swim in pairs in a particular area, which they fiercely defend against other fish.This type of fish butterfly fish are not often found in collections of aquarists, which is due to their specific diet - they eat only polyps of the genus Acropora. Keeping these fish is recommended only for professional aquarists.
Chaetodon baronessa is a relatively small butterfly, reaching a size of about 16 cm. Its body is quite tall at the back, making its shape triangular. Because of this, the fish is also called a triangular butterfly. The body coloration is pale, but colorful. The front of the body is silvery white, gradually changing to grayish blue toward the rear. On the sides are alternating thin curved bands of yellowish color. Through the eye passes a broad vertical stripe, black from below and turning crimson at the top. Anal and dorsal plumage at margins with black and yellow edging. On the tail plumage, closer to the edge, there is a transverse yellow stripe.
The fish can be kept as singly or in pairs. When keeping pairs, the fish should be started in a new aquarium at the same time. The aquarium for the content of these fish should be spacious, 500 liters for a pair of fish, or 300 liters for one fish. When kept in a common aquarium with its other inhabitants Baroness butterfly does not injure invertebrates, of course this does not apply to polyps, which the fish eat. Triangular butterflies are not aggressive to other fish other than those of their family. If necessary, they can give a decent fight even larger neighbors, such as, surgeons and angelfish.
Since Chaetodon baronessa is very difficult to acclimatize to new keeping conditions and food, it is very important to buy healthy fish initially. Make sure there are no parasites or any visible infections on their bodies.
Water parameters: temperature 22-26° C, pH pH 8,1-8,4. Requires good filtration and increased aeration of water.
Lighting requires bright, lasting at least 10 hours a day.
These fish mainly feed on coral polyps, so keeping them in an aquarium environment may have problems feeding them if you try to give them alternative food. Because of this, you need to be well prepared before purchasing these fish, and have some suitable food available that baroness butterflies will eat. It should be noted that despite the availability of replacement foods, you need to be prepared for the fact that a fairly large percentage of the fish will die after a short time in captivity. All this means keeping live corals, mussels and zooplankton in the tank as food in order to keep these fish alive until they get used to alternative foods. Feed at least 2 times a day in small portions.
Reproduction
The butterfly baroness does not breed under aquarium conditions. All fish that occasionally appear in the trade are supplied from their natural habitat.
