Long Nose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus)

The 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.

This is a good first butterfly purchase, though not necessarily for a beginning hobbyist. If acclimated properly, Longnose Butterflyfish are a hardy addition to any fish-only system. It does best if kept in a 125 gallon or larger tank with peaceful tankmates. Use caution if housing this species in a reef aquarium, it may nip at corals and sessile invertebrates.

It should be fed a varied diet of meaty foods mysis shrimp, crustacean meat, and frozen preparations.