Horned Heniochus (Heniochus Varius)

Care Level : Moderate

Temperament : Peaceful

Color : Tan, White

Diet : Omnivore

Reef Compatible : With Caution

Water Conditions : sg 1.020-1.025, 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4

Max. Size : 7"

Origin : Indo-Pacific

Family : Chaetodontidae

Minimum Tank Size : 125 gallons

Horned Heniochus (Heniochus Varius), the Heniochus Brown Butterflyfish or Horned Bannerfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae, native from the central Indo-Pacific area. Members of the Heniochus genera are often called Bannerfish instead of Butterflyfish.

The Horned Heniochus has a dark brown head and body. It has a narrow white band behind the head to the breast and a diagonal white band from the dorsal fin to the base of its tail. The forehead has a hump and there is a curved horn over each eye. It has the typical deep-bodied and highly compressed body, typical of butterflyfishes. The Horned Bannerfish is told apart from its congeners by the adults having a pair of obvious horns on the forehead, just above the eyes and a prominent bump on the forehead. The predominant colour on the body is brown to blackish broken by a thin white band behind the head and a second running from the spiny part of the dorsal fin to the caudal peduncle. The two white stripes create a triangle of the base colour on the body. The Horned Bannerfish is a small sized fish that can reach a maximum length of 7 inches. 

The Heniochus Brown Butterflyfish may reside in a 125 gallon or larger aquarium that has a rocky aquascape with overhangs or caves for shelter.

The Heniochus Brown Butterflyfish may be kept in pairs if both are introduced to the aquarium at the same time. It will acclimate better if tank mates are small, docile fish. They are very peaceful and can be kept with other peaceful fish, but may become aggressive towards other Butterflies with a similar pattern or coloration in smaller tanks. They are also not reef safe since they will nip at and eat soft corals and stony polyps as well as ornamental shrimp, tube worms and anemones.

Diet should include a variety of mysis and vitamin enriched brine shrimp, spirulina, nori, seaweed, marine algae, and algae based foods, 2-3 times daily.

Size: Small: 1-1/2" to 2-1/4"; Medium: 2-1/4" to 3 1/2"