African Butterfly Fish

[ChiChithePygo]

@GnosticLibertarian Although I'll perhaps concede that the Copland in the beginning is, indeed, pretty cheesy. :)

[ChiChithePygo]

@GnosticLibertarian Glad you liked the fish! The soundtrack is intentionally over-the-top, although I'm not sure I agree that Debussy is cheesy.

[tropicalfish666]

Hi i have a 240 lt or 63 gal aquarium. I have quite a mixed up tank i have congos platies monos angels and all sorts. I am looking for a peaceful and interesting surface dewller. Is this the fish for me?? All my other fish keep to the bottom and middle. Oh and its a planted tank. Thanks

[ChiChithePygo]

@tropicalfish666 Sounds like an awesome tank. If the plants reach up towards the surface of the water, a butterfly would feel very at hope.

Make sure the platies don't go up too high, and/or that they're big enough to fend for themselves. The butterflies can be pretty gluttonous when they want to be, and they've got HUGE mouths.

[vett3l0l]

mm, could this go into my 200L tank with 4 flordia crafish and two plecostomuses?

[ChiChithePygo]

@vett3l0l That should be an ideal setup---just be sure to provide some surface cover.

[ChiChithePygo]

@vett3l0l That sounds like a great tank; just be sure to set up some floating cover for him.

[catfishfan277]

These fish are a delight to have as a pet! I have a spoiled rotten male named Louis. He gorges himself on crickets and he has even figured out how to beg! When he's hungry, he darts to the front of the tank as soon as he sees me. And he stays there until i feed him. Other than that, he isn't very active.

[king4wheel]

i need info on them i saw them at the petstore and they only gave a name and nothing else

[ChiChithePygo]

There is some great info on Fishbase. Here are some basics:

1. Tank should be no smaller than 29g.

2. Provide floating plants/surface cover.

3. House with fish that aren't fin-nippers, overly aggressive, or large enough to swallow them.

4. Be prepared to offer them a variety of foods, as they can be somewhat picky (especially early on).

[Dimunic]

are they always this active?

[ChiChithePygo]

Not necessarily---it depends on the fish, and the environment. I've had quite good luck with them, though!

[octilia2]

what middle level fish do u recomend to get along with my african butterfly fish?

[ChiChithePygo]

I've had better success with bottom dwellers, but there are some mid-strata fish that I'm sure could work just fine.

The Butterfly spooks pretty easily, so you'd probably want something relatively slow moving/sedate. Also, make sure any tankmates aren't able to swallow it---I've lost a couple to this over the years.

A perfect match would be a senegal bichir, which, though a bottom dweller, will occupy plenty of time swimming around the tank's middle, and is too small to eat your butterfly.

[redgravel92]

would these fish be ok in with severums and angel fish , my sevs are peaceful they get along with platies

[MethodRacing]

we have six angles in our tanks. they get along just fine

[ChiChithePygo]

That should be a very nice setup---just make sure you've got some floating plants so the butterfly can hide if he ever needs to.

[vett3l0l]

@ChiChithePygo awesome, they are hard to find here but il get some sooner or later!

(ps do you know if, for the sake of food variation they can eat regular insects like lil spiders and stuff from the garden?)

[ChiChithePygo]

@vett3l0l Definitely get some! I wouldn't recommend feeding any fish something from the garden, as there could be pesticides etc. Even if your garden is very safe, you never know where the critters have been.

You could, though, buy crickets from a pet store and feed 'em those. They love chasing them around!

[ollyk22]

Are they able to move much from the surface and if so do they?

[ChiChithePygo]

They generally stay within a couple of inches from the top---if they get scared, they'll dip down quickly somewhat farther, but they don't usually.

[ShadowsDecember]

what do you feed him/her?

[ChiChithePygo]

He gets Hikari Food Sticks and bloodworms, usually.

[HuskiesRule777]

I want one badly... Great tank!

[ChiChithePygo]

Thanks so much---they're great fish.

[laugharound]

Wonderful video, thanks for your presentation of your beautiful butterfly fish. I've always loved this species and who knows, one day I might keep my own ones...

[ChiChithePygo]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I highly recommend them (as you can probably guess). ;)

[matoy77]

i have a butterfly fish, they are cool. nice tank.

[ChiChithePygo]

They're definitely among my favorite fish---they're just so graceful. Thanks for watching!

[Foster9011]

Thanks for this beautiful vid. I love my African Butterfly fish, he eats those same pellets. He lives with bichirs and ctenopoma

[ChiChithePygo]

That sounds like a nice African setup!