1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Surface predator.
326 species in our list are a good match.
Surface predator.
Insects, floating foods.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Look at the back edge of the anal fin: it is convex (curved outwards) in males and straight in females.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Egg-scatterer ·
Spawns near the surface; the eggs float straight up to the surface and can be scooped off.
Adults.
Large tank with floating plants.
Unknown.
A spawning gives about 80-220 eggs about 1.5 mm across (often over 100 a day in aquaria); they hatch in 3-4 days.
Live food.
An amazing jumper for its size: it launches itself out of the water on its large, wing-like pectoral fins to catch insects or escape predators, but it does not glide. Needs a tight lid.
Wilhelm Peters described the African butterflyfish in 1876. It spends its life just below the surface, waiting for insects to land. Its large, wing-like pectoral fins help it leap from the water, and it is the only member of its family.
First described by Wilhelm Peters in 1876. Named for Named after German zoologist Reinhold Buchholz.
16 facts checked with sources
Valid name; the only species in its genus and family. Not to be confused with marine butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae).
FishBase: Pantodon buchholzi summary · Seriously Fish: Pantodon buchholziLegacy has no family. Order Osteoglossiformes.
FishBase: Pantodon buchholzi summaryFishBase 11.9 cm TL (15 cm TL recorded in an aquarium); Seriously Fish 12 cm SL.
FishBase: Pantodon buchholzi summary · Seriously Fish: Pantodon buchholziSeriously Fish says around 25-27 °C (77-80 °F) is best.
Seriously Fish: Pantodon buchholzi · FishBase: Pantodon buchholzi summaryInside Seriously Fish's 6.0-7.5.
Seriously Fish: Pantodon buchholziLegacy has no hardness.
Seriously Fish: Pantodon buchholzi90 x 30 cm base x 30 cm height = 81,000 cm³ = 81 L (Seriously Fish's figure), rounded to 80 L. Width matters more than depth; a tight lid is essential.
Seriously Fish: Pantodon buchholziSeriously Fish says a small group can usually be kept in a roomy tank with plenty of surface plants, but gives no minimum; keeping one is not ruled out. Second pass: FishBase gives no group size either.
Seriously Fish: Pantodon buchholziPeaceable with mid- and bottom-dwellers too big to eat, but aggressive to other surface fish and to its own kind; its long fins tempt fin-nippers.
Seriously Fish: Pantodon buchholziSurface-feeding insectivore.
FishBase: Pantodon buchholzi summarySeriously Fish difficulty rating 'Moderate'.
Seriously Fish: Pantodon buchholziLegacy has no native range.
FishBase: Pantodon buchholzi summary · Seriously Fish: Pantodon buchholziLegacy says 'notched' for males; the source says convex.
Seriously Fish: Pantodon buchholziLegacy gives no numbers. The FishBase egg figure was summarised by the fetch tool, not copied verbatim; Seriously Fish quotes are exact.
Seriously Fish: Pantodon buchholzi · FishBase: Pantodon buchholzi summaryCorrection: FishBase says it is a ballistic jumper, not a glider, so 'glides above the surface' is wrong. The tight-lid advice is confirmed.
FishBase: Pantodon buchholzi summary · Seriously Fish: Pantodon buchholzi