African Butterfly Fish

By: racial fish
 
Common Name: African Butterfly Fish
Latin Name: Pantodon Buchholzi
Origin: Western Africa, stillmoving waters
Temperature: 78-80°F 26-27°C
Ease Of Keeping: Moderate
Aggressivness: Easy going
Lighting: Dim to high
Adult Size: 4-4.5 inches 10-15cm
Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallon
Feeding: Crickets,sometimes flake
Spawning Method: Hard but can be done
 
Comments:
I have had this fish for about one and a half months. They require a ph of 6.0-7.5 and prefer their water to be filtered over peat. They can sometimes get very nervous and will jump out of their tank so all surface area must be covered. Having floating plants such as duckweed will help this fish feel more secure and it will be more active. They can sometimes be agressive and may eat other small suface dwelling fish. They love to sit in slow moving current and do not thrive very well in fast water. Feeding can sometimes be difficult be most of these guys are brought in wild so they may not accept flake. I have not attempted breeding but I have read it is a long courtship and is much like that of cichlids. It is better to have a wide tank than a high tank because this fish spends most of its time at the surface.