i was at my lfs today and i saw they had African Butterflyfish for sale. Do any of you guys know of these fish? what do they eat? what kind of water do they like? what could the tamk mates be? what part of the tank do they live in? thanks for the help?
African Butterflyfish
- Thread starter Boggnials
- Start date
African butterflys are 100% surface dwellers which take insects and small fishes from the surface.They preffer soft acidic water but can tolerate a pH of up to 7.5 and hardness to about 15 dGH.They are intolerent of nitrates and will soon die in tanks with readings over 40 ppm.The fish also dislikes fluctuating water conditions and should only be kept in tanks that are stable (over 6 months old) and need a good regular maintainance schedule.
Sometimes they can be difficult to feed as all food is taken from the surface and fish may be reluctant to take anything but live foods,i fed the ones i had on crickets (the ones bought from pet stores for feeding lizards and spiders) insects from the garden and glassworms (white mosquito larvea) but most floating foods will be taken once the fish has adjusted to them.
This fish is a excellent jumper and a natural escape artist so the tank must be well covered at all times.
As the fish is a active predator tankmates should be kept above 3" to avoid being eaten,the fish can also be aggressive to other surface dwellers so only keep them with fish that use the bottom and middle levels of the tank.
This fish must not be kept with barbs and other nippy fish,its beautiful long finnage makes it a target to fin nippers,if their fins are damaged they often become infected with fungus infections and due to their delicate nature are difficult to treat,medications should be used only at half dosages.
Sometimes they can be difficult to feed as all food is taken from the surface and fish may be reluctant to take anything but live foods,i fed the ones i had on crickets (the ones bought from pet stores for feeding lizards and spiders) insects from the garden and glassworms (white mosquito larvea) but most floating foods will be taken once the fish has adjusted to them.
This fish is a excellent jumper and a natural escape artist so the tank must be well covered at all times.
As the fish is a active predator tankmates should be kept above 3" to avoid being eaten,the fish can also be aggressive to other surface dwellers so only keep them with fish that use the bottom and middle levels of the tank.
This fish must not be kept with barbs and other nippy fish,its beautiful long finnage makes it a target to fin nippers,if their fins are damaged they often become infected with fungus infections and due to their delicate nature are difficult to treat,medications should be used only at half dosages.
thanks for the information. i have like about a 1" gap between me filter and the hood is this ok. should i put a net like material to keep them from jumping out. i have they type of filter that hangs on the back of the tank. it draws water in from an intake tube in the tank. it soits the water out into the tank through in a waterfall like manner. would the current be too strong or is it ok?
Curtiss
New Member
In addition to the foods mentioned by CFC my African butterfly fish loves meal worms. Mine is quite mellow and usually sticks to a spot on the surface where the currents are minimal. Once in while he'll swim around a bit, but for the most part is quite the lazy fish. I keep him with a few angels, a red tail shark, an algae eater, a peacock eel and 2 red claw crabs...oh yah, and a needlenose. The needlenose is also a surface dweller but prefers the more agitated water by the filter outlets so they don't bother each other at all. I've yet to see the African take any of the feeder fish I put in the tank for the needlenose, so I think he's content with the meal worms and crickets.
-Curtiss
-Curtiss
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