Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish

Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish

Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish, or Forceps Fish, can be found singly or in schools on reef flats and slopes of the Indo-Pacific region. It has a long snout that resembles a pair of needle nose pliers, for picking food out of crevices and between coral heads. The Longnose Butterflyfish has a yellow body. The color of its head is divided horizontally. The upper half of the head, at the very top of the mouth through the top of the head is black. The lower half is white. The dorsal spines are long and jagged. It is a fairly large Butterflyfish in the wild, but remains a medium-sized fish in the home aquarium.

• Scientific Name: Forcipiger flavissimus
• Origin: Hawaii, Indonesia
• Max Size: 9 inches
• Diet:  foods mysis shrimp, crustacean meat, and frozen preparations.
• Required Tank Size: 125+ gallons
• Approximate Size: Small: 1 to 3 1/2 inches