I love butterflyfishes and see they are indicated as “Keep it Wild” on the RPI Reef Fish Guide. What does “corallivorous” mean and why should I avoid these fish?
Many butterflyfishes feed only on the individual coral polyps that make up a living coral, thus the term “corallivorous,” meaning “coral eating.” Butterflyfishes cover large areas to feed, which minimizes their impact on corals by eating only a small amount which allows corals to regrow. This is called a ‘feeding strategy.” Corallivorous butterflyfishes will rarely eat commercially available food (i.e. flakes, pellets, etc.). Even though public aquariums have displays large enough to support adequate populations of living coral, it is nearly impossible to replicate an environment that can support this type of feeding strategy in the home aquarium. Because most home aquariums are small(er) and can only support a limited amount of living coral, the majority of corallivorous butterflyfishes starve, and eventually die.
