1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Will eat tiny fish and shrimp; keep with calm fish too large to eat.
126 species in our list are a good match.
Will eat tiny fish and shrimp; keep with calm fish too large to eat.
Live foods first; some accept frozen foods.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Hard to sex. Females are said to have a curved belly line that is straight in males (Baensch, unconfirmed); the female turns paler when spawning.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Bubble-nester · Hard
Bubble-nester, rarely bred: the male builds one or more bubble nests among surface plants, and the pair spawns into the nest. Remove the parents after hatching, or they may eat the fry.
A pair in a quiet tank.
80 L planted tank with leaf litter and floating plants.
Warm water and live foods.
Over 100 eggs in the bubble nest; they hatch in 48-72 hours, and the fry need live food such as brine shrimp nauplii from birth.
Fry feed on live brine shrimp.
A West African leaffish camouflaged as a dead leaf. It can change colour to match its surroundings, stalks prey head-down, and is flighty and nervous.
Belgian-British zoologist George Boulenger described this leaffish in 1901. It is the only African member of its family, a shy hunter that looks like a drifting leaf.
First described by George A. Boulenger in 1901. Named for 'Abbreviata' means shortened.
16 facts checked with sources
Only species in its genus.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus Polycentropsis · FishBase: Polycentropsis abbreviata summaryLegacy has no family. Older West African literature (e.g. Teugels 2003, FishBase main reference) placed it in Nandidae; current placement is Polycentridae.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus Polycentropsis · FishBase: Polycentropsis abbreviata summarySeriously Fish 8 cm SL (larger, used); FishBase 6.7 cm SL and 8.0 cm TL.
Seriously Fish: Polycentropsis abbreviata · FishBase: Polycentropsis abbreviata summaryBoth sources start at 26; legacy 24 is too cool. Seriously Fish preferred.
Seriously Fish: Polycentropsis abbreviata · FishBase: Polycentropsis abbreviata summarySources agree; legacy upper 7.5 too high.
Seriously Fish: Polycentropsis abbreviata · FishBase: Polycentropsis abbreviata summaryLegacy has no hardness. Seriously Fish (preferred) 1-10.
Seriously Fish: Polycentropsis abbreviata · FishBase: Polycentropsis abbreviata summary60 x 38 cm base x 30 cm height = 68.4 L. Legacy 80 L is more generous.
Seriously Fish: Polycentropsis abbreviataNo minimum group given; can be kept singly, as a pair or a small group.
Seriously Fish: Polycentropsis abbreviataPredator but not aggressive; no source gives a rating in substance.
Seriously Fish: Polycentropsis abbreviataNo source names a swimming level.
Seriously Fish: Polycentropsis abbreviataLegacy has no range field.
FishBase: Polycentropsis abbreviata summary · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus PolycentropsisLegacy fin-shape cue is not supported.
Seriously Fish: Polycentropsis abbreviataLegacy hedges "bubble-nest or egg-attacher"; the source says bubble-nester.
Seriously Fish: Polycentropsis abbreviataLegacy 50-150 is consistent with "over 100".
Seriously Fish: Polycentropsis abbreviata