African butterfly cichlid
Anomalochromis thomasi
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 73–81°F
- 23–27°C
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Adult size
- 3.1 in
- 8 cm
- Minimum tank
- 25 gal
- 95 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- Medium
- Rarity
- Common
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Origin
- Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia
Overview
This is one of the more peaceful cichlids, calm enough for a community tank with other gentle fish. It usually settles in the middle and lower water. A bonded pair will claim a small territory, especially when raising fry, but they rarely cause trouble outside of that. Feed quality flakes and small pellets plus live or frozen food. A tank around 95 liters gives a pair enough space.
In the wild
The African butterfly cichlid lives in slow streams and rivers in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. The bottom is sand or mud, there are lots of plants for cover, and the water is soft and slightly acidic. Set up a planted tank with sand, some flat rocks or wood for spawning sites, and gentle flow. Water in the mid 20s C with a pH from 6 to 7.5 works well.
Good to know
This is a small West African cichlid in the family Cichlidae, growing to about 8 cm. It forms monogamous pairs and is a substrate spawner, laying eggs on a cleaned rock or leaf. Both parents guard the eggs and fry. Breeding is moderate in difficulty, and it is not considered threatened in the wild.
Did you know
When a pair spawns, both parents share guard duty and will move the fry around the tank, sometimes scooping stragglers up in their mouths to relocate them. For a cichlid this size, they make surprisingly attentive parents.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
African butterfly cichlid is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.
Blue-eyed livebearer
Priapella intermedia
Freshwater2.8 in (7 cm) · 24 gal (90 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
Geoffroy's cory
Corydoras geoffroy
Freshwater3 in (7.5 cm) · 26 gal (100 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)
Lake Wanam rainbowfish
Glossolepis wanamensis
Freshwater3.9 in (10 cm) · 25 gal (95 L)77–86°F (25–30°C)
Spotted hatchetfish
Gasteropelecus maculatus
Freshwater3.5 in (9 cm) · 26 gal (100 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Banded hillstream loach
Pseudogastromyzon fasciatus
Freshwater3.9 in (10 cm) · 25 gal (95 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)
Black molly
Poecilia sphenops
FreshwaterBrackish4.7 in (12 cm) · 24 gal (90 L)70–82°F (21–28°C)
Common questions
What size tank does an African butterfly cichlid need?
An African butterfly cichlid needs at least 25 gal (95 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does an African butterfly cichlid need?
An African butterfly cichlid is comfortable at 73–81°F (23–27°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.
How big does an African butterfly cichlid get?
An adult African butterfly cichlid reaches about 3.1 in (8 cm).
Related species
3.1 in (8 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)Egyptian mouthbrooder
Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor
3.1 in (8 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
3.1 in (8 cm)42 gal (160 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)Perrieri hap
Prognathochromis perrieri
3.1 in (8 cm) · 42 gal (160 L)
3.3 in (8.5 cm)18 gal (70 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Panda dwarf cichlid
Apistogramma nijsseni
3.3 in (8.5 cm) · 18 gal (70 L)
3 in (7.5 cm)18 gal (70 L)72–84°F (22–29°C)Cockatoo cichlid
Apistogramma cacatuoides
3 in (7.5 cm) · 18 gal (70 L)
3 in (7.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–84°F (22–29°C)Two-stripe dwarf cichlid
Apistogramma bitaeniata
3 in (7.5 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
3.5 in (9 cm)42 gal (160 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)Flameback cichlid
Pundamilia nyererei
3.5 in (9 cm) · 42 gal (160 L)