Billiethekid
New Member
Anyone have any experience with them??
African Butterfly Fish
- Thread starter Billiethekid
- Start date
They're a good top water fish, but not really active unless you're feeding them. Can go with anything as long as it doesn't maul them or fit in their mouth. Most of the ABFs sold in fish stores these days will eat flake or frozen but love live crickets. Be sure and ask a knowledgeable salesperson what they're feeding and how well they're eating. Look for ones with an even brown striping/mottled look, if they're too pale or too dark they're likely sick or very upset with the water conditions. They seem to get along fine with other top water dwellers, mine never bothered my killies and I've also kept them with young African cichlids in a 55gal. You can generally think of them as a permanently small arowana, so a tight fitting lid is essential since they are skilled jumpers.
leisure_man
New Member
Kept them a long time ago. You can sex them by their anal fin. I used to feed them live food only, like wax worm, baby crikets. Make sure your tank has floating plants to provide covers for them. Female will grow bigger than the male. Spawning would take place (assuming you have a male and female) where the female stay stationary while the male circled her and finally come from behind to spawn. Even the fry stay just below the surface. You will have to drop the tank water down really low to help feed the fry as they will not go to the bottom to feed.
Akire is right, they are a good jumpers so keep the top covers well. I used the plastic wrap for food to make sure they stay inside the tank. Alternatively, you can keep them in a species tank and drop the water level down.
Akire is right, they are a good jumpers so keep the top covers well. I used the plastic wrap for food to make sure they stay inside the tank. Alternatively, you can keep them in a species tank and drop the water level down.