African butterflyfish care

Pantodon buchholzi · Niger and Congo basins, West and Central Africa

African butterflyfish (Pantodon buchholzi) — Photo: Toniher, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

African butterflyfish float just under the surface on wing-like fins, waiting for insects to land.

Tank size: 30 US gal or larger
Temperature: 73 to 86 °F (23 to 30 °C)
Group size: Alone or in a pair
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Adult size: 5 in
pH: 6.5 to 7.5
Hardness (GH): 2 to 10 dGH
Lifespan: 4 to 6 years
Diet: Insect eater
Care level: Moderate

In a 30 gallon

36¼ × 12⅝ × 16¾ in outside

Drawn to scale: one African butterflyfish at adult size (5 in) in the smallest listed tank that suits them. Choose your tank on the home page to see them in it.

How to keep African butterflyfish

African butterflyfish float just under the surface on wing-like fins, waiting for insects to land. Keep one in a covered 30 gallon or larger tank at 73 to 86 °F with floating plants and calm, mid-water tankmates; they eat small surface fish.

Diet: Insect eater: floating insects, crickets, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp at the surface. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.

Where they swim: Top of the tank.

African butterflyfish tank mates

Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.

Drawing

Snowball pleco

5 in · 30+ gal · 77–84 °F

Red lizard whiptail catfish

5 in · 20+ gal · 72–79 °F

Butterfly pleco

5.1 in · 30+ gal · 77–84 °F

Blind cave tetra

4.7 in · 29+ gal · 68–77 °F

Rubbernose pleco

5.7 in · 30+ gal · 68–77 °F

Green phantom pleco

5.9 in · 40+ gal · 77–84 °F

Candy-striped pleco

5.9 in · 30+ gal · 72–79 °F

Kubotai loach

5.9 in · 40+ gal · 77–86 °F

Keep apart

Cardinal tetra: Adult African butterflyfish eat fish under about 1.5 in; cardinal tetras grow to 1.2 in.
Green neon tetra: Adult African butterflyfish eat fish under about 1.5 in; green neon tetras grow to 1 in.
Ember tetra: Adult African butterflyfish eat fish under about 1.5 in; ember tetras grow to 1.2 in.
Silvertip tetra: Silvertip tetras nip long fins like those of African butterflyfish.
Chili rasbora: Adult African butterflyfish eat fish under about 1.5 in; chili rasboras grow to 0.8 in.
Celestial pearl danio: Adult African butterflyfish eat fish under about 1.5 in; celestial pearl danios grow to 1 in.

What an African butterflyfish tank needs

A tank of 30 US gallons or more (such as the 30 gallon) with a tight lid (they jump), and the equipment below.

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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 20

Rated by the maker for up to 30 US gal, which covers a 30 gallon African butterflyfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.

Details and fit →

Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal

Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 30 gallon African butterflyfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.

Details and fit →

Fluval E100

African butterflyfish need 73 to 86 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.

Details and fit →

API Freshwater Master Test Kit

Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding African butterflyfish.

Details and fit →Check price on Amazon

Seachem Prime 100 mL

Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.

Details and fit →Check price on Amazon

Fluval Edge Thermometer

Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 73 to 86 °F.

Details and fit →Check price on Amazon

We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →

Common African butterflyfish problems

They leap when startled; a tight lid with no gaps is essential.
Fin nippers chew their long, trailing fins.
Hatchetfish and other small surface fish are eaten.

Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.

More to compare

Fish for a 30 gallon tank Angelfish tank mates Top-dwelling fish Centerpiece fish Types of oddball fish

Black ghost knifefish

20 in · 125+ gal

Senegal bichir

14 in · 75+ gal

Elephantnose fish

9 in · 55+ gal

Ropefish

15 in · 55+ gal

Sources

Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Pantodon buchholzi. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.

Photo credits

Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.

African butterflyfish Toniher, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Red lizard whiptail catfish Ckf6412, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Butterfly pleco Alberto Alcalá (iNaturalist), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Blind cave tetra James St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rubbernose pleco Frank Alvarez, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Green phantom pleco 5snake5, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Candy-striped pleco Gabriel Lelis Togni, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kubotai loach Lerdsuwa, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cardinal tetra CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Green neon tetra Sascha Biedermann, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Ember tetra Klaus Rudloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Silvertip tetra Filtropat; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Chili rasbora JoKrimmel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Celestial pearl danio Cisamarc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Black ghost knifefish Vassil, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Senegal bichir Zhyla at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Elephantnose fish Jutta234, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ropefish Michał Zalewski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons