The truth about Kleini Butterflyfish?

[Ashish Patel]

That orange shoulder is beautiful! How big is it? Makes the butterfly look like a penny lol

Thanks. It was shocking when i put the butterfly fish in and the orange shoulder swam by it. I was nervous he would go for the kill but it's not a threat. He is 9" grew that big in 1 year from a small 1.5"

 

[Ashish Patel]

 

[littlefoxx]

Thanks. It was shocking when i put the butterfly fish in and the orange shoulder swam by it. I was nervous he would go for the kill but it's not a threat. He is 9" grew that big in 1 year from a small 1.5"

I want one in my tank! Beautiful fish for sure. Has it ever reverted to the yellow? Ive seen some that if theres bigger tangs they revert to a juv color?

 

[UMALUM]

I cant stand this fish!!!! Mine was a terror. Couldnt get it out of my 125 when I had it. Always able to catch tangs but this booger nope. He also was ornery, ticked every fish off in my tank all the time. Made my marine betta chase him even, and he was the most chill fish! His name was poop head. And he murdered all my corals on top of that!!

What coral did it kill?

 

[bobnicaragua]

I had the regular yellow, not the blue. It constantly picked at my acros. I don’t think it did any real damage, but I lost polyp extension.

I tried an aptasia eating file fish, but it didn’t eat aptasia. It only picked at the acros. Same as the butterfly, I don’t think it did any real damage. I lost polyp extension.

I returned both fish.

 

[Ashish Patel]

I want one in my tank! Beautiful fish for sure. Has it ever reverted to the yellow? Ive seen some that if theres bigger tangs they revert to a juv color?

No he started yellow and started turning immediately after adding to the display. Never reverted

 

[littlefoxx]

No he started yellow and started turning immediately after adding to the display. Never reverted

Ah cool! Yeah when I get the current velvet issue out of my tank Im thinking of getting one! Was going to get a sohal but they are expensive!! What other tangs is he with?? Saw a PBT and achilles!

 

[Ashish Patel]

Ah cool! Yeah when I get the current velvet issue out of my tank Im thinking of getting one! Was going to get a sohal but they are expensive!! What other tangs is he with?? Saw a PBT and achilles!

Besides those I just have a purple and yellow tang.

 

[Ashish Patel]

It’s been about six weeks since I added a Klein’s butterflyfish and a filefish to help control the aiptasia problem in my tank. Alongside adding these natural predators, I’ve been waging my own war against the aiptasia.

For the first few weeks, I was treating the tank at least five nights a week. My approach involved using syringes filled with sodium hydroxide to inject the larger aiptasia. While this method does kill them, not all stay dead—some recover and spread. To maximize effectiveness, I even rigged up a siphon hose to suck out the aiptasia after treatment, thinking it might encourage the butterflyfish to target the affected areas. I believe it worked, as the Klein’s butterflyfish would often hover around the treated spots.

I’ve personally witnessed the Klein’s butterflyfish eat at least two aiptasia, which was great to see. Surprisingly, my purple tang joined in as well! After I scraped a couple of aiptasia off the glass, the tang ate two of the free-floating pieces. At first, I thought it might be a fluke, but the tang spit one out and then swallowed it again, confirming its taste for free-floating aiptasia.

As for the filefish, I’ve only seen it eat part of an aiptasia before abandoning it, which likely caused the aiptasia to split and spread further.

Now, here’s the downside: the Klein’s butterflyfish has developed a taste for my SPS corals, particularly polyps from my staghorn, acros, and montis, as well as one of my acans. While the aiptasia population has started to decline, I think this is primarily due to my sodium hydroxide treatments rather than the fish. Unfortunately, this method isn’t sustainable, as I’m seeing hundreds of tiny baby aiptasia forming on the rocks. I’m the one who has to keep taking them out.

My hope is that once the aiptasia numbers drop to a more manageable level—say a few hundred—the fish will start to take over the task. However, right now, there are just too many aiptasia and too much other food in the system for the fish to focus on them. I’ve tried cutting back on feeding, but that only causes the butterflyfish to attack my SPS polyps even more.

If anyone has tips or insights, please share!

 

[Ashish Patel]

Man, the aiptasia is all but gone and honestly I am the one that killed all the larger aiptasia using sodium hydroxide. however, the babies aiptasia are not coming back as fast. I believe the filefish and kleins are helping since some areas have no new babie aiptasia.

However, now the kleins is going after all my acroporas polyps with no regards. I was hoping it would just go after my 1 acan or some soft corals but he is constantly nipping at rock and PE. i wish he would just stop so I can keep him but I think I have to remove him now. chances are he is not really doing that much of job on aiptasia and could be making it worst. I see him taking one nip at an aiptasia and than leaving to the next.. so he is not really finishing of what he started. I am sure when he nipps at the babies he can take them out in one bite. but I think its time to find him a new home before he gets larger.

 

[Aparker2005]

Our Klein demolished every aip in our tank. Unfortunately it also tried and ate nearly all of my wife's zoas, so it had to go.

We ended up with a filefish that keeps our aips out thankfully

 

[Ashish Patel]

Our Klein demolished every aip in our tank. Unfortunately it also tried and ate nearly all of my wife's zoas, so it had to go.

We ended up with a filefish that keeps our aips out thankfully

My Kleins is munching on my Acropora polyps like its thanksgiving daily. Aiptasia problem did go away pretty fast but he takes out the smaller ones periotically but his primary choice seems to be acropora polpys. However, I also have a aiptasia eating filefish and suspect he is probably eating the babie aiptasias aswell.

I knew the risk of the kleins but my aiptasia problem was so bad I had to role the dice on this one. Now I want to remove him but don't know how too. kleins has also grown quiet a bit in the 3 months ive had him. great fish for aiptasia control but not easy to remove from a 400 gallon tank.

How do you catch this fish? do you think i could stunn him at nighttime with a flash light and catch him somehow?

 

[Aparker2005]

My Kleins is munching on my Acropora polyps like its thanksgiving daily. Aiptasia problem did go away pretty fast but he takes out the smaller ones periotically but his primary choice seems to be acropora polpys. However, I also have a aiptasia eating filefish and suspect he is probably eating the babie aiptasias aswell.

I knew the risk of the kleins but my aiptasia problem was so bad I had to role the dice on this one. Now I want to remove him but don't know how too. kleins has also grown quiet a bit in the 3 months ive had him. great fish for aiptasia control but not easy to remove from a 400 gallon tank.

How do you catch this fish? do you think i could stunn him at nighttime with a flash light and catch him somehow?

I had to take a lot of rock out of our 125 and chase it nearly to death, but we got it out. The person we sold it to loves it. I wish we could have kept it but wife hated it after it took her zoa garden out lol

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

My Kleins is munching on my Acropora polyps like its thanksgiving daily. Aiptasia problem did go away pretty fast but he takes out the smaller ones periotically but his primary choice seems to be acropora polpys. However, I also have a aiptasia eating filefish and suspect he is probably eating the babie aiptasias aswell.

I knew the risk of the kleins but my aiptasia problem was so bad I had to role the dice on this one. Now I want to remove him but don't know how too. kleins has also grown quiet a bit in the 3 months ive had him. great fish for aiptasia control but not easy to remove from a 400 gallon tank.

How do you catch this fish? do you think i could stunn him at nighttime with a flash light and catch him somehow?

I used a fish trap, they are greedy pigs, it's easy enough to get them into one.

 

[Land&Sea]

They are Indo-pacific and do exist. Here is an example:

Bluehead Butterfly - Chaetodon kleinii - Small​

1 Review

$36.99

Item: 213591




Out of Stock

Quantity

View Item Shipping Restrictions
ADD TO CART
ADD TO WISHLIST
EMAIL ME WHEN ITEM IS BACK IN STOCK
Pinit Share Tweet

• Details
• Instructions

Bluehead Butterflies (Cheatodon kleinii) have a white forebody with a vertical black bar across the eye and a golden yellow body with a faint black and white bar behind the pectoral fins. They are named for the faint blue shadow on their foreheads and are also called Sunburst Butterflies or Klein's Butterflies.

I actually made the huge mistake of reading alll you’re claims & assertions to people that it’s reef safe, and I now have one of the smartest, fastest, most impossible to catch smooth CRIMINAL coral killing machine, eating all my GIANT birds nest colonies one by one, n also nips at my acros… but luckily the birdsnests are taking the full brunt force beating for now. I’m scared to find out what will happen if and when it finally kills all my (what were once) GORGEOUS 2+ cubic foot colonies of different birds nest and pocci’s. It’s been months of me trying to catch this thing, borderline trying to KILL this thing, taking any rocks out that I can, tho most are 100 % secured n cannot be removed. And this things WHIPS thru the slightest of cracks in the rock work at 100mph… I’m almost not joking about the speed either. It’s a GORGEOUS fish, but I will NEVER be making this mistake again. And? Unfortunately, it has ruined the word “butterfly” for me as well, lol/UGH!!!

Also, it seems to never sleep, so my yellow tang who hates it n chases it away anytime it swims by ( YT being my only in tank defense against this thing) sleeps like a baby n thus, this Kleini has learned to do most of the carnage after lights out. I’m going nuts here. Started having my alk spiking too due to the loss of growth n mass of all my birdsnests n poccis.

If anyone knows what I can do, please help me out here. I’m HEAVILY feeding it (and the tank) about 4 times what I used to, creating quickly fouled water n a need for MANY more water changes in just a few months time than I usually do in a whole year. I’m quite literally losing sleep over it n shining a flashlight in there to scare it away anytime I can.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I actually made the huge mistake of reading alll you’re claims & assertions to people that it’s reef safe, and I now have one of the smartest, fastest, most impossible to catch smooth CRIMINAL coral killing machine, eating all my GIANT birds nest colonies one by one, n also nips at my acros… but luckily the birdsnests are taking the full brunt force beating for now. I’m scared to find out what will happen if and when it finally kills all my (what were once) GORGEOUS 2+ cubic foot colonies of different birds nest and pocci’s. It’s been months of me trying to catch this thing, borderline trying to KILL this thing, taking any rocks out that I can, tho most are 100 % secured n cannot be removed. And this things WHIPS thru the slightest of cracks in the rock work at 100mph… I’m almost not joking about the speed either. It’s a GORGEOUS fish, but I will NEVER be making this mistake again. And? Unfortunately, it has ruined the word “butterfly” for me as well, lol/UGH!!!

Also, it seems to never sleep, so my yellow tang who hates it n chases it away anytime it swims by ( YT being my only in tank defense against this thing) sleeps like a baby n thus, this Kleini has learned to do most of the carnage after lights out. I’m going nuts here. Started having my alk spiking too due to the loss of growth n mass of all my birdsnests n poccis.

If anyone knows what I can do, please help me out here. I’m HEAVILY feeding it (and the tank) about 4 times what I used to, creating quickly fouled water n a need for MANY more water changes in just a few months time than I usually do in a whole year. I’m quite literally losing sleep over it n shining a flashlight in there to scare it away anytime I can.

Holy crap.... mine is in the tank with ton's of coral and nothing. As mentioned, some reported zoa's but that's it.... ouch
A fish trap works wonders with catching them

 

[Land&Sea]

Thanks, I hope so these aiptasias make the tank so ugly! The tangs are chasing the fish away but he just seems to not care so I kind of appreciate his attitude.

My experience too!! This kleini is the most stubborn n confident sps KILLER I’ve ever owned. Even my flame angel used to nip here n there and then stopped after a few days of getting frozen foods he enjoyed much more. But this thing… my god!! Eats ALL foods, is fat as a pig, n still wiping out all my giant birdsnests n poccis, n also the occasional bio to my acros, but like the BN’s better. They are completely ravaged and holding on by a few threads at this point. And, he quickly learned when my yellow tang, who hates the fish as much as I do, goes to sleep, n then he goes full throttle on the coral munching.

 

[littlefoxx]

I actually made the huge mistake of reading alll you’re claims & assertions to people that it’s reef safe, and I now have one of the smartest, fastest, most impossible to catch smooth CRIMINAL coral killing machine, eating all my GIANT birds nest colonies one by one, n also nips at my acros… but luckily the birdsnests are taking the full brunt force beating for now. I’m scared to find out what will happen if and when it finally kills all my (what were once) GORGEOUS 2+ cubic foot colonies of different birds nest and pocci’s. It’s been months of me trying to catch this thing, borderline trying to KILL this thing, taking any rocks out that I can, tho most are 100 % secured n cannot be removed. And this things WHIPS thru the slightest of cracks in the rock work at 100mph… I’m almost not joking about the speed either. It’s a GORGEOUS fish, but I will NEVER be making this mistake again. And? Unfortunately, it has ruined the word “butterfly” for me as well, lol/UGH!!!

Also, it seems to never sleep, so my yellow tang who hates it n chases it away anytime it swims by ( YT being my only in tank defense against this thing) sleeps like a baby n thus, this Kleini has learned to do most of the carnage after lights out. I’m going nuts here. Started having my alk spiking too due to the loss of growth n mass of all my birdsnests n poccis.

If anyone knows what I can do, please help me out here. I’m HEAVILY feeding it (and the tank) about 4 times what I used to, creating quickly fouled water n a need for MANY more water changes in just a few months time than I usually do in a whole year. I’m quite literally losing sleep over it n shining a flashlight in there to scare it away anytime I can.

Dude me too, fell for it as well. I hated this fish and couldn't get it out without ripping the whole tank up!! no traps, dude was faster than freakin tangs and damsels!! All my fish hated this dude as well, he managed to tick my marine betta off who is the most chill fish Ive ever seen. He came out and chased this butterfly for a solid 3 minutes!! Worst fish ever.

 

[Land&Sea]

Holy crap.... mine is in the tank with ton's of coral and nothing. As mentioned, some reported zoa's but that's it.... ouch
A fish trap works wonders with catching them

I have 3 of the magnetic ball like fish traps in there n with both birdsnest branches in it and i put food in when i can. But the second I pull the string from my couch he WHIPS out faster than the trap springs and floats to the top

 

[littlefoxx]

Holy crap.... mine is in the tank with ton's of coral and nothing. As mentioned, some reported zoa's but that's it.... ouch
A fish trap works wonders with catching them

Not mine!! Caught every fish with different traps but this MF. Had to rip my whole tank and rock work up to get him. Dude killed all my corals, annoyed every fish in the tank and caused a ton of chaos and fighting with everyone. Was like a war zone in the tank. Got this dude out after pulling everything and when I put it back together my tank was peaceful...