Butterfly xenotilapia

Xenotilapia papilio

Also known as Sunflower xenotilapia, Papilio sand cichlid

FreshwaterFish

Butterfly xenotilapia (Xenotilapia papilio) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–81°F (24–27°C)
pH: 7.8–9.0
Adult size: 3.1 in (8 cm)
Minimum tank: 53 gal (200 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lake Tanganyika, Congolese coast
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

The butterfly xenotilapia is a small, peaceful sand-dwelling Tanganyikan cichlid for a calm species tank or a gentle Tanganyikan community. It lives right on the bottom over sand near rock and is delicate and easily out-competed, so keep it only with slow, quiet tankmates, or on its own so a pair can breed. It sifts fine sand and picks small foods, so offer frozen cyclops, baby brine shrimp, and mysis with a good sinking flake. A pair is the natural unit, though it is sometimes kept in a small colony. A tank of around 200 liters or more, with a deep bed of fine sand and some flat rock, suits it.

In the wild

Xenotilapia papilio works the transition between pebble and open sand on Tanganyika's southwestern, Congolese shore, in clear, hard, oxygen-rich water. Recreate that with a deep bed of fine sand, some flat stones and rounded rock at the edges, and gentle flow. The lake is very hard and alkaline, so hold 24 to 27 C and a pH of 7.8 to 9.0 with clean, stable water.

Good to know

Xenotilapia papilio belongs to the cichlid family and reaches about 8 centimeters. Described in 1990, it is a biparental mouthbrooder of hard difficulty, unusual because both parents share the carrying rather than the female alone. Its Sunflower form carries a lemon-yellow dorsal fin, and papilio, meaning butterfly, refers to the finnage.

Did you know

Rather than the mother doing all the work, a pair takes turns carrying their young: partway through the brood, they pass the fry from one mouth to the other, so each parent shoulders part of the incubation.