Chelmonops truncatus

Chelmonops truncatus, commonly known as the Eastern talma, is a large butterflyfish which is closely related to the more well-known C. rostratus coming from temperate waters. Especially as juveniles they look like a dark C. rostratus. Their base colour is silvery-white with brownish small spots and dark brown vertical bands. Their body shape is a little triangular. They look very similar to C. curiosus, but C. curiosus has a longer anal and dorsal fin compared to C. truncatus, making it look more triangular.

These fish are quite peaceful to most other fish, but might haress similar looking fish. They live usually in pairs in rocky bays and estuaries and prefer algae covered rocks over coral reefs. In an aquarium they can best be kept alone unless a proven pair can be found. They're real omnivores feeding on all kind of worms, crustaceans and algae in nature. They can nip corals like most butterflyfish, but usually won't do much damage. Don't expect them to eat Aiptasia like a Chelmon and feed them a varied diet of frozen en live food, but be sure to supply them with a steady amount of high quality algae based food as well!