I saw an African Butterfly fish at the local store, and I would like to get one. I've begun to research them, and am getting mixed reviews. The smallest fish I have currently are Orange Von Rio Tetras, but I also have some surface dwellers: a killifish and hatchetfish. Would the African Butterfly fish do well with these other species???
African Butterfly fish tankmates
- Thread starter JDRawe
- Start date
I think they would end up as lunch. ABF are actually related to arowanas and they are also predatory fish. So basically if it'll fit their mouths they will most likely eat it. The surface dwellers are the most vulnerable since they inhabit the same swimming space.
Their mouths are deceiving... it opens like a trap door, HUGE, and they will probably annoy your hatchets to death (they did mine). Good point is they are relatively small and very interesting, and could probably get on pretty well in a 20 long if you were looking for a new aquarium. My last one took the leap of faith during a water change and ended up drying up behind my guitar (an all to familiar story). I highly recomend them in a setup with no other top dwellers and no small fishes as they are always the point of discussion in the aquarium, especiallly after they eat a huge cricket. One of my favorite fish.
as everyone has said, anything that can fit in it's mouth is lunch. and it's mouth is deceivingly large.
Here's a photo of one's skull. Clearly the mouth and teeth of a predator.
http://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/19863.jpg
http://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/19863.jpg
I got one a few months ago. I have cories, platys, and a dwarf gourami. The only problems come when a fish tries to nibble on the ABF's fins or during feeding.
My ABF is still pretty small, so I am not sure how big they actually get and what the max sized thing they can eat is.
Since the ABF is always on the surface, and I mean always, you'd be just fine with cories and mid-dwellers.
My ABF is still pretty small, so I am not sure how big they actually get and what the max sized thing they can eat is.
Since the ABF is always on the surface, and I mean always, you'd be just fine with cories and mid-dwellers.
Four to six inches is the general range, although a buddy had one that stayed right around three inches. I would venture that a slender fish less than half of the ABF's body length would be fair game, but to be safe I wouldn't keep one with any fish less than 2/3 of its body length — and definitely not with any other surface dwellers.
