Chaetodon trifasciatus

Chaetodon trifasciatus, commonly known as the Melon butterflyfish, is a small butterflyfish. Their base colour is yellow with numberous blue spots which form horizontal lines and get more dense towards the caudal and dorsal fin making the fish look lavander to blue there. They've black vertical stripes on the head and the anal and caudal fin have a black stripes in it and yellow to orange parts as well. Further they've two black spots on their body. Species from the Pacific are more brownish and sometimes regarded as a subspecies, while others regard them as a different species: C. lunulatus.

These fish are quite peaceful to most other fish, but not to other Chaetodon. They live most of their life solitary or in pairs on coral reefs. In an aquarium they can best be kept alone, unless a proven pair can be found. They're obligate corallivores, meaning they feed mainly on corals (Pocillopora) and do need them to stay healthy. This makes them not suitable for a fish-only tank and they will do best in a large reef tank stocked with fast growing Pocillopora. Do keep in mind that they will do considerable damage to these corals! A real specialist fish!