The wonderful Prognathodes aculeatus, or Poey’s Butterflyfish, happens to be my favorite species of butterflyfish in the world. This beautiful Prognathodes species originates from the tropical Western Atlantic and can be found off the coast of Florida all the way down to about Venezuela. In the southern Caribbean near Brazil, you may also encounter its close cousin, Prognathodes brasiliensis. The specimen pictured in my tank today was collected off the east coast of Florida in about eighty feet of water.
This specific species is quite uncommon in the waters off the coast of Florida. Many specimens that make it to the hobby tend to originate from the country of Haiti. For whatever reason, they are quite abundant in Haiti’s waters compared to the southeast coast of Florida. Interestingly, these fish are also spotted at much shallower depths in Haiti compared to the depths that most are spotted in Florida as most of them spotted in southern Florida are found from about eighty feet to over two hundred feet of water.
A hardy butterflyfish?
If I am being honest, this happens to be quite a hardy species of butterflyfish. In my experience, they tend to take to frozen or liquefied foods quite fast compared to other butterflyfish I have kept. Usually, I start most of my new fish on live brine shrimp and slowly work them over to frozen or liquified foods. This specimen specifically ate the Reef Nutrition Mysis feast on the first day of being added to my Caribbean reef tank.
When compared to most other Prognathodes species, these guys can typically tolerate a little bit higher temperatures than some of its deeper residing cousins such as the French Butterflyfish, Prognathodes guyanensis, and the Bank Butterflyfish, Prognathodes aya, which inhabit depths ranging anywhere from a hundred feet to over five hundred feet. Fish coming from those depths will require a cooler temperature to help mimic their natural environment’s temperatures in order to keep them alive long-term.
The Poey’s Butterflyfish can be an exception to that rule. Since they are typically able to adapt to higher temperatures, they are more suitable for our reef aquariums. Having said that, I always strive to do my best to mimic the natural environment of any fish I purchase or acquire to give the fish the best quality of life it could possibly have.
If you plan to keep it, tank size should definitely be a consideration. I would definitely recommend a tank of at least seventy-five gallons or more. These fish enjoy rummaging around the tank looking for free-floating food to give it an easy meal. They may eat frozen and other prepared foods, but in the wild, they are very optimistic feeders. They feed on tubeworms, multiple species of shellfish, clams, scallops, etc.
I personally remove a few “micro dusters” from my sump and place them above in the reef tank as the butterflyfish will generally go out of its way to make a snack of them. Clams on the half shell have also worked quite well for me; I feed a clam on the half shell about once a week to supplement its diet. I personally think the more variety of foods a fish can receive and eat, the better chance you have of keeping a fish healthy long term.
Prognathodes aculeatus availability
Sourcing this specific species of butterflyfish can be quite difficult, especially the Prognathodes genus. On some occasions, I have seen them pop up on certain online vendors’ websites. However, if you are interested in acquiring one, you would need to keep watching regularly to see if they acquire a specimen and have one available. If you are really interested in acquiring one, you might also consider reaching out to your local fish stores to see if they can source them from their suppliers.
Given the effort it takes to acquire these specimens, I will tell you that once you do find a specimen, it will most likely not be the least expensive option available. Most other specimens in this genus can reach thousands and thousands of dollars. However, as a general rule, this species will cost anywhere from a hundred dollars to a few hundred dollars.
With all that said, this species of butterflyfish is a unique specimen, to say the least. If you can and want to try your hand at a Prognathodes butterfly, I would definitely recommend this species due to its lower price tag compared to other Prognathodes species. Since this species is sourced from the Caribbean and belongs to the genus Prognathodes, it makes this a cool addition to a biotope tank or any collector that is looking for a unique species to house in their aquarium.
Main image credit: Ridgeback Fisheries
