Freshwater
Freshwater butterflyfish
Pantodon buchholzi
Pantodontidae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 11.9 cm
- Body shape
- Streamlined
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 53 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Native
Lives wild in Benin, Cameroon, Congo - Brazzaville, Congo - Kinshasa, Gabon, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
More about the species
Description
Pantodon buchholzi is a creature from calm waters. It lives in swamps, creeks and backwaters, and inhabits the calmer parts of rivers, where it can be seen on the surface waters. They are capable to jump out of the water, to search for insects or to escape from predators. It is not a glider, but a ballistic jumper, with a tremendous jumping power. It is an exophageous insectivore, feeding on terrestrial insects and aquatic larvae and nymphs of insects. It also feeds on crustaceans and fish. Introduced in 1905 to European aquarists. Pantodon buchholzi is a favorite fish for aquarists; in the aquarium it can rest with the top of the head and the large pectoral fins touching the surface, while the long rays of the pelvic fin hang down perpendicularly, forming a tempting morsel for other aggressive fish in the same tank, and therefore it should be stocked together with only bottom dwellers. Observed maximum length of 15.0 cm TL in aquarium.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Pantodon buccholzi
- Pantodon buccholzii
- Pantodon buchholtzi
- Pantodon buchholzi var. macrolepis
- Pantodon buchholzi var. schizonotus
- Pantodon bucholzi
In other languages
- Afrikansk sommerfuglfisk
- Afrikansk fjärilsfisk
- Sommerfuglefisk
- Perhoskala
- Butterfly fish, Butterflyfish, Freshwater butterfly fish
Articles
All articles
Fish that get along4 min read
Temperament, fin nippers, fish that eat other fish, and fish that need the same water. And what the Harmony mark in the app means.
How to set up an African aquarium5 min read
Two completely different aquariums: forest rivers with soft, brown water, roots and leaves, and Rift Valley lake cichlids in hard, alkaline water with big rock piles.
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.