Anybody had any experience keeping them? I can't seem to find any info about the other than recipies.
African leaf fish
- Thread starter fballguy
- Start date
Under which scientific name are you looking at?
I have what some would call African Leaf Fish but they are really Ctenopoma acutirostre aka Climbing Spotted Perch.
The real African Leaf Fish is under the name Polycentropsis abbreviata.
I have what some would call African Leaf Fish but they are really Ctenopoma acutirostre aka Climbing Spotted Perch.
The real African Leaf Fish is under the name Polycentropsis abbreviata.
Didn't know there was more than 1, sorry about that. Ctenopoma acutirostre is what I was wondering about, I'll do another search now that I have a scientific name. Any help is appreciated!
fballguy said:
Whar would you like to know?...I currently have eight of them, along with a number of other Ctenopoma and Microctenopoma.
Mainly I want to know how big they get, whether they are aggressive or not, and if they need to be kept in groups.
1. About 6½"
2. Not really aggressive, but very predatory, ambushing and swallowing anything that they can (bigger fish than you might think, as the Ctenopoma can extend their mouths quite large).
3. No, but they do seem to be somewhat social and enjoy the company of conspecifics.
2. Not really aggressive, but very predatory, ambushing and swallowing anything that they can (bigger fish than you might think, as the Ctenopoma can extend their mouths quite large).
3. No, but they do seem to be somewhat social and enjoy the company of conspecifics.
Thank you very much! I saw these guys in Petsmart and I may look into setting up a new tank and getting a couple.
hi there
i have a Ctenopoma acutirostre named Sid.
i bought him under the impression that he was an African Spotted Leaf fish, but he is not. the proper common name is Spotted Climbing Perch, or Leopard Bushfish. he does look very similar to the true african leaf fish, he will get a bit bigger and is actually completely unrelated.
they have a large, telescoping mouth and will hunt down and eat any fish that can fit in it, which are fish up to 1/3rd their own body length and mass. however, they will not bother any fish that is too big, so can easily be kept in a community tank with other large, peacful fish.
the spotted climbing perch is an anabantid, meaning it is related to bettas and gouramis, and it has a labrythe organ that it can use to breathe atmospheric air. these fish are found in the wild in the rivers of africa. they prefer slower moving water, that is slightly acidic. blackwater would be perfect. however, just like bettas and gouramis, they are very adaptable and mine is doing well with a pH of 7.8.
the minimum tank size for this fish is a 29-30 gallon for a single fish with no tank mates. they can reach a length of 8 inches, but usually don't excede 6 inches in the home aquaria. however, they are not very active swimmers. they perfer to hide in the decor and wait for food most of the time. they are slow growers and usually won't reach adult size for over two years. mine is in a 10g right now, waiting for a 45g to be setup and he has been there about 3 months and has grown maybe a 1/4 of an inch, if that. he is the only fish in the 10g and i monitor his growth closely to make sure he doesn't outgrow it. i have a 20g empty and ready for him if he starts getting too big and i still don't have the 45 ready.
Spotted climbing perches prefer well-planted tanks with lots of places to hide. they are ambush hunters and use their leaf-like shape and leopard spots to hide in the leaves of plants, wait for a small fish to swim near, then pop out of hiding and almost vaccume the fish up with their unfolding mouth. as you can tell, they like live foods. and with any predator, i suggest you breed your own feeders to endure their health. you wouldn't want your Sid to contract a disease from icky feeder fish. also do NOT feed goldfish to a troical fish like a ctenopoma. i personally am going to breed guppies for Sid once he gets a little bigger and feed them a very high quality diet, which will then be passed to Sid when he eats the guppies.
all in all these are very fun fish. my Sid comes up to the glass whenever he sees me and begs for food. he can even be taught to eat out of my hand. i would not reccomend them for a beginner because of the live food requirements (they will eat frozen aswell, and some people have gotten them to eat pellets, but its so fun to watch them hunt and eat live food, and i believe its more stimulating for the fish as well) and also their predatory, yet docile nature makes it difficult to find tank mates for them. they cannot be kept with large, agressive fish like cichlids because they would get beaten up, but they can't be kept with smaller fish because they will get eaten.
i have a Ctenopoma acutirostre named Sid.
i bought him under the impression that he was an African Spotted Leaf fish, but he is not. the proper common name is Spotted Climbing Perch, or Leopard Bushfish. he does look very similar to the true african leaf fish, he will get a bit bigger and is actually completely unrelated.
they have a large, telescoping mouth and will hunt down and eat any fish that can fit in it, which are fish up to 1/3rd their own body length and mass. however, they will not bother any fish that is too big, so can easily be kept in a community tank with other large, peacful fish.
the spotted climbing perch is an anabantid, meaning it is related to bettas and gouramis, and it has a labrythe organ that it can use to breathe atmospheric air. these fish are found in the wild in the rivers of africa. they prefer slower moving water, that is slightly acidic. blackwater would be perfect. however, just like bettas and gouramis, they are very adaptable and mine is doing well with a pH of 7.8.
the minimum tank size for this fish is a 29-30 gallon for a single fish with no tank mates. they can reach a length of 8 inches, but usually don't excede 6 inches in the home aquaria. however, they are not very active swimmers. they perfer to hide in the decor and wait for food most of the time. they are slow growers and usually won't reach adult size for over two years. mine is in a 10g right now, waiting for a 45g to be setup and he has been there about 3 months and has grown maybe a 1/4 of an inch, if that. he is the only fish in the 10g and i monitor his growth closely to make sure he doesn't outgrow it. i have a 20g empty and ready for him if he starts getting too big and i still don't have the 45 ready.
Spotted climbing perches prefer well-planted tanks with lots of places to hide. they are ambush hunters and use their leaf-like shape and leopard spots to hide in the leaves of plants, wait for a small fish to swim near, then pop out of hiding and almost vaccume the fish up with their unfolding mouth. as you can tell, they like live foods. and with any predator, i suggest you breed your own feeders to endure their health. you wouldn't want your Sid to contract a disease from icky feeder fish. also do NOT feed goldfish to a troical fish like a ctenopoma. i personally am going to breed guppies for Sid once he gets a little bigger and feed them a very high quality diet, which will then be passed to Sid when he eats the guppies.
all in all these are very fun fish. my Sid comes up to the glass whenever he sees me and begs for food. he can even be taught to eat out of my hand. i would not reccomend them for a beginner because of the live food requirements (they will eat frozen aswell, and some people have gotten them to eat pellets, but its so fun to watch them hunt and eat live food, and i believe its more stimulating for the fish as well) and also their predatory, yet docile nature makes it difficult to find tank mates for them. they cannot be kept with large, agressive fish like cichlids because they would get beaten up, but they can't be kept with smaller fish because they will get eaten.