metfan581
Fish Addict
what is a african butterfly
it was mentioned in some of the replys
it was mentioned in some of the replys
Top Dwelling Fish
- Thread starter metfan581
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pahansen
Fish Fanatic
African Butterfly Fish:
http
/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=34968
These are very cool fish. They spend their time sitting at the tank's surface going, "Don't mind me... I'm a dead fish. Yup. Completely dead. That's me." Our ABF doesn't move (unless he's trolling for food) even when he's bumped into by other fish.
ABF have evolved to appear as if they are constantly floating upside down. I always thought that a more appropriate name would be the African Dead Fish, or possibly the African Possum Fish, until we got our ABF home. What you can't tell from looking into the tanks from the sides is that the ABF's splayed out pectoral fins look like the wings of a butterfly, when viewed from the top.
Some caveats about these fish:
- Do not put an ABF into a tank that houses fish that are less than 2" in length. They will become African Butterfly Snacks.
- Drop the water level in your tank by a couple of inches (this shouldn't be hard if you have a tall tank). That way you can see the ABF better and he won't be too close to the light source. Because they are surface-only fish, they can't swim away if the light is too hot.
- Ask before you buy an ABF. Some will only accept live foods. If you don't want to constantly supply live foods (I hear they particularly like crickets...), find a store that carries ABFs which will accept frozen foods. For us, it was worth the extra looking-around time to not have to constantly supply live food.
- Make sure your tank has a good lid on it; these fish will jump. And be careful during feeding time -- that's when mine jumps.
We waited until our barbs got to be about 2" long before we got our ABF, which is about 2" long (body length, without tail) now. I figure that gave our little fish a good head start. It was definitely worth the wait! The ABF is unique and very interesting to watch at feeding time.
Good luck,
Pamela
http
/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=34968These are very cool fish. They spend their time sitting at the tank's surface going, "Don't mind me... I'm a dead fish. Yup. Completely dead. That's me." Our ABF doesn't move (unless he's trolling for food) even when he's bumped into by other fish.
ABF have evolved to appear as if they are constantly floating upside down. I always thought that a more appropriate name would be the African Dead Fish, or possibly the African Possum Fish, until we got our ABF home. What you can't tell from looking into the tanks from the sides is that the ABF's splayed out pectoral fins look like the wings of a butterfly, when viewed from the top.
Some caveats about these fish:
- Do not put an ABF into a tank that houses fish that are less than 2" in length. They will become African Butterfly Snacks.
- Drop the water level in your tank by a couple of inches (this shouldn't be hard if you have a tall tank). That way you can see the ABF better and he won't be too close to the light source. Because they are surface-only fish, they can't swim away if the light is too hot.
- Ask before you buy an ABF. Some will only accept live foods. If you don't want to constantly supply live foods (I hear they particularly like crickets...), find a store that carries ABFs which will accept frozen foods. For us, it was worth the extra looking-around time to not have to constantly supply live food.
- Make sure your tank has a good lid on it; these fish will jump. And be careful during feeding time -- that's when mine jumps.
We waited until our barbs got to be about 2" long before we got our ABF, which is about 2" long (body length, without tail) now. I figure that gave our little fish a good head start. It was definitely worth the wait! The ABF is unique and very interesting to watch at feeding time.
Good luck,
Pamela
metfan581
Fish Addict
yes the tank was cycled
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