african spotted leaf fish?

Aquarius Keeper

Just another Update - this fish is still going strong - constantly out and about, fascinating to watch for it's "leaf-like" movement.

I've been buying it blackworms but it doesn't seem to have any objections to flake food either (it doesn't swim to the top for them but snaps up the bits that the current carries to the bottom) - maybe if you start them young?

iamntbatman

If you can get it to eat flake, then by all means go for it. Prepared foods generally are a more well-balanced diet than live, so it'd be fantastic. Since the fish will end up getting pretty big, you might want to try to get it to eat some sort of pellet food, since it's a lot more reasonable to feed a big fish pellets than flake. You could start on the smaller-sized sinking pellets and work your way up to the big ones as it grows.

jeaninel

Got any pics? I've always wanted a Ctenopoma. I just don't have any room for one at the moment.

Aquarius Keeper

I haven't responded in a bit because my Ctenopoma acutirostre died, and I've felt ashamed.

Everything was fine, good water levels, ammonia, nitrate, temp, ph etc...

Then I added an un-quarantined female Guppy and seven glolight tetras from petco into to an otherwise healthy tank - within days everything was dying, including my upside down catfish and my favorite, the African spotted leaf fish.

I have three surviving guppies (two are pregnant) and three glolights alive in a medicated quarantine. A dwarf guarami, 1/2 beak, and 2 baby kuhli loaches remain alive in the 30g.

My turtle tank and brackish mudskipper habitats remain healthy, but I still feel terrible for contaminating the 30g with un-quarantined fish. I've seen more acutirostre ctenopoma available at a store near my work, but I am reluctant to buy another after what happened.

Jonathan

Chrisseh

They are ambush preditors. a lot of times they look shy or even a little sad, but really they are hiding and waiting for prey. I am sure within a month he will be big enought to eat the guppies, or atleast nip their tails. I am glad that you enjoy him.

P.S: Some PetSmart employees knows what they are talking about. . . :(

aunt kymmie

Dear Jonathan-

I'm really sorry you lost some of your fish. Don't beat yourself up about it too badly. I'm sure most of us have made the mistake of not quarantining a fish and losing other fish because of it. I know I have. We all learn from our mistakes and it's too bad that sometimes fish are lost because of those mistakes. I hope your remaining fish remain uninfected.

Once you've set up a quarantine tank you should get another Ctenopoma acutirostre. After all, it's one of your favorite species. Don't give up!!

Kym

jeaninel

Sorry to hear that. That's why I decided to convert my 10 gallon tank to a QT. I had a columnaris outbreak that came in with new fish and I lost 2 fish. So we live and learn. Don't feel ashamed. Sometimes even when we give the best of care things happen.

tophat665

I have three of these wonderful devils in my 110. I got them at petsmart I guess almost 2 years ago when they were the size of the bowl on a tablespoon. The biggest one is about 4 1/2" long now, and the other two are pushing 4". They live in a 110 with a pair of bichirs (who they used to terrorize before the bichirs got up over about 7"), an albino ancistrus, and the swordtails who have outgrown food size. They come out of their caves when I walk up to the tank and beg for food. Their all time favorite thing is hikari sinking carnivore pellets. They also tear up beefheart cubes, krill cubes, and, of all things, coarsely chopped (and very well rinsed) chicken liver. I recommend keeping about 20 gallons of livebearer (or rosy minnow, white cloud, convict, or any other just add water, makes its own fry kind of fish) breeding space for each bushfish, though, because inch to inch and a half long fry are their all time favorite food item. When I got them, I had a 25 high that I had probably 50 feeder guppies (home bred) in. I stuck these three little guys in there, and in a week, they were the only fish in the tank. And this was when they were an inch and a half long. They make short work of fully grown guppies at any age. They can take a fully grown Platy or sphenops molly or male Swordtail (not female, though) now that they're nearly full sized.

I am also advised (on this forum, I believe) that If you have a half dozen or more, they will hunt in a pack.

Being as they're anabantoids, which are largely fairly short lived fish, when these fellows pass, I'll set up a 40 or 55 with guppies (probably a mix of fancy and feeder), and let them grow out to fill the tank out, then drop in a half dozen Ctenos and let them clear the tank, then grow out for a year and a half before plunking them in with the bichirs.