Longnose Atlantic Butterflyfish

Description

Talk about alias names, the Longnose Atlantic Butterflyfish (prognathodes aculeatus) is also known as Poey’s Butterflyfish, Butterbun, Caribbean longsnout Butterflyfish, and Rosy Butterflyfish. Distinctive or it’s long pointed snout, this fish has an amber center body that darken to a brown moving towards the fins and back and it has a creamy yellow stomach. The Longnose Atlantic Butterflyfish can grow to be approximately 3 inches long.

Even tho this fish is very hardy, it is at the same time very secretive and shy. It can usually be seen alone or in a pair hanging out by some reef drop off mostly in deep waters.

The Longnose Atlantic Butterflyfish is perfect for show tanks but it does thrive best if kept in deep reef aquariums. This specific fish is considered peaceful but is not recommended to be kept with other butterflyfish.

One unique fact about the Longnose Atlantic Butterflyfish is that it has very fine hair like teeth that allow it to reach and pick at small organisms most other fish cannot  reach. Speaking of teeth, these fish love to feed on Christmas-tree worms, mysis shrimp, tube worms, crustacean flesh and good frozen fish food. We have found that they do best with live foods like enriched brine shrimp in the beginning

This particular fish was first accounted for and described by two scientists all the way back in 1860. Interestingly, unlike other species in this family the Longnose Atlantic Butterflyfish does not pick and eat parasites off of other fish.

The Caribbean Longnose Butterflyfish as a rather uncommon fish that we get from Haiti. They can vary in size from 1 inch to 3 inches.