Pantodon Buchholzi

Pantodon buchholzi is one of the most distinctive freshwater fish in the hobby, belonging to its own monotypic family Pantodontidae. Found in still, heavily vegetated waters of West and Central Africa, it has evolved extraordinary wing-like pectoral fins that allow it to leap from the water and glide short distances to capture insects and other prey items from the surface or air.

In the aquarium, the Butterfly Fish requires a shallow tank — ideally no deeper than 30–40 cm — with a large surface area, floating plants such as Pistia or Salvinia, and an extremely well-fitted lid with no gaps. It is a dedicated surface predator and spends virtually its entire life within a few centimetres of the water's surface. Calm, still, or very slow-moving water is essential.

Feeding Pantodon buchholzi is best accomplished with floating or surface-area foods: live or frozen crickets, mealworms, flies, and floating carnivore pellets. It will largely ignore foods that sink below the surface. Males and females can be kept together but males may harass females persistently — extra hiding among floating plants helps.

Water: Soft and slightly acidic, pH 5.5–7.0, temperature 24–30°C, GH 1–10, KH 0–5. Tank: Minimum 100 L, shallow depth, large surface area, heavy floating cover, sealed lid with no gaps. Feeding: Carnivore; floating crickets, mealworms, flies, large freeze-dried krill, and floating carnivore pellets. Breeding: Egg floater; eggs deposited at surface; soft acidic water needed; fry accept micro-worm initially. Compatibility: Peaceful with mid and bottom fish; predatory toward small surface-dwelling fish.