The Oceanic Institute of Hawaii Pacific University have just shared the exciting news that they succeeded for a second time in culturing the longnose butterflyfish Forcipiger flavissimus. The organisation shared images of a fully settled juvenile at 90 days old, which beats the previous 86 days achieved by Avier Montalvo in 2016. The team, which was also responsible for being the first to culture Yellow tangs Zebrasoma flavescens back in 2015, acknowledged that collaboration with local aquariums was key in their success. Given this, it seems likely that fertilised eggs were sourced from such a partner, and raised at the OI… which means that although the specimens are completely captive-bred, the spawning process took place somewhere else. It may be some time, if ever, before the species enters the hobbyist trade but it’s another stunning achievement made possible by the work of dedicated aquarist.

See images and read more about Forcipiger genus butterflyfishes here