Melon Butterflyfish

The Melon Butterflyfish is a beautiful but extremely challenging species to maintain in captivity, classified as expert-only due to its obligate corallivore diet. Its oval, compressed body displays a striking pattern of fine horizontal lines in purple-blue and orange tones that give it a melon-like appearance, hence the common name. The anal fin is edged in vivid red-orange, and the characteristic dark eye bar extends across the face, while a dark band adorns the caudal peduncle.

In the wild, Chaetodon trifasciatus is an obligate corallivore that feeds almost exclusively on the polyps and mucus of living corals, with a strong preference for Acropora and Pocillopora species. This extreme dietary specialization makes it one of the most difficult butterflyfish to maintain in aquariums. Most specimens refuse all substitute foods, and starvation is a common outcome in captivity. Only the most experienced and dedicated aquarists should attempt to keep this species.

Despite its feeding challenges, the Melon Butterflyfish is peaceful toward other fish and poses no threat to tankmates. It is not reef-safe, as it will consume living corals. The species is a graceful swimmer that patrols reef structures in search of food. Those rare aquarists who succeed with this species typically maintain it in large, well-established systems with the ability to provide supplemental live coral or have successfully weaned the fish onto enriched frozen preparations.