African Butterfly Fish

[furry catfish]

Hi all I have been setting up my new tank And i've recently started stocking so far I only have 8 black phantom tetras (planning on getting 10)but I am intending for the stock to eventually be:
1 pearl gourami
2 keyhole cichlids
4 upside down catfish
10 black phantoms
2 bristle nosed catfish
10 panda cories
someone suggested African butterfly fish to me and I quite like them but I'm not sure whether they would get along with my stock and if they are hardy enough for a newbie to fish.the tank is 40 gallons,long,and has a Fluval 305 external filter.

thanks

 

[nmonks]

Black phantom tetras prefer relatively cool conditions, 22-24 C being about ideal. So choose tankmates that share the same preference for coolish conditions -- danios, almost all Corydoras, Ancistrus, neon tetras, platies, etc. Acaras such as keyholes and blue acaras should be fine too, as they also prefer cooler rather than warmer conditions. Gouramis, by contrast, tend to prefer warmer conditions, so they're not obvious choices for this community.

As for African butterflies, they're predatory fish and easy targets for nippy tetras. Synodontis nigriventris is an occasional fin-nibbler and wouldn't be my first choice. Likewise, tetras can be nippy, even the best species, so approach with care. On the other hand, if you choose a warm-water Corydoras like C. sterbai, there's no reason why they can't get along fine with African butterflies, and because they occupy different levels in the tank, there won't be any competition at feeding time.

Cheers, Neale

 

[furry catfish]

Thanks for the very quick reply I thought so about the tetras I just wasn't sure if the fact of them being in a shoal would affect it at all.so should not bother with the butterfly fish if I want to keep the rest of the stock?

 

[nmonks]

African butterflyfish just aren't "community" fish so you shouldn't think of them that way. In large tanks they work really well with Ctenopoma and Congo tetras, but they do need a shady, low-current corner of the tank, and each specimen claims about a 30 cm square territory, so in small tanks they can be rather grumpy towards each other. Feeding can be a real hassle, though they may take good quality flake. They're best kept in their own system, with a few well-chosen catfish.

The black phantom tetras shouldn't be nippy, but because they prefer slightly cooler water to the African butterflies, I don't see the two species doing well in one aquarium. Spend a little time with a reliable aquarium atlas like Baensch, or visiting a trustworthy site such as Fishbase, to accrue information on each species. Just because a fish is sold as a community fish doesn't mean it will get along with every other possible community fish.

Cheers, Neale

Thanks for the very quick reply I thought so about the tetras I just wasn't sure if the fact of them being in a shoal would affect it at all.so should not bother with the butterfly fish if I want to keep the rest of the stock?

 

[furry catfish]

fair enough,I'll rethink the tank stock and research alot more on the fish i pick,


thanks

 

[simonas]

if you can set a tank up for them they make great fish to keep

In my experience easy to feed and interesting to watch as they grow andbecome bolder. when they swoop under the water surface to mid water levels they look very spectacular but you need to be aware of the size of their mouths they could fit a decent sized fish in there

Simon

 

[Squidward]

Or maybe you could try an African themed set up.
Butterfly Fish, Congo Tetras, Kribs and maybe some Syno catfish.

If you are experienced, you could add some Elephant Noses.

I have seen the above setup in a public aquarium and it looked fantastic.