Butterfly Fish
Pantodon buchholzi · family Pantodontidae
Parameters
- Temperature
- 23–30 °C
- pH
- 6–7.5
- Hardness
- 1–10 °dGH
- Tank volume
- from 200 L
- Maximum size
- up to 13 cm
- Group size
- min 1, ideal 2
- Temperament
- Predator
- Swimming zone
- Top
- Difficulty
- Expert
- Lifespan
- 5–8 years
Description
An ancient relict species — its wing-like fins let it glide above the water. Predator hunting insects.
Care
Surface-only fish, long wide tank 200+ L, lid with air gap mandatory. Calm bottom-dwelling tankmates (synodontis).
Feeding
Only live/frozen food from surface: crickets, flies, bloodworm, small shrimp. Reluctant to take pellets.
Compatibility
Compatibility data not yet available.
FAQ
- Can butterfly fish be kept in a group?
- Males are aggressive to each other. Keep one solo, or one male + two females in 200 L+. A long tank lets them keep distance.
Goldie editorial team
Practising aquarists with a combined 30+ years of experience · Biologists and editors, fact-checking against FishBase and Seriously Fish · Every piece is reviewed by a qualified ichthyologist before publication
Scientific board — ichthyologists and veterinarians
Ichthyologists and veterinarians with university degrees · Reference FishBase, Seriously Fish and peer-reviewed literature · Sign every reviewed article with their credentials shown
Sources
- Wikipedia: Pantodon buchholzi · Wikipedia · 2026-05-22