Eyespot bushfish

Ctenopoma ocellatum

Also known as Ocellated ctenopoma

FreshwaterFish

Eyespot bushfish (Ctenopoma ocellatum) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 5.9 in (15 cm)
Minimum tank: 42 gal (160 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Congo basin
Family: Anabantidae

Overview

The eyespot bushfish is a larger African labyrinth fish that hunts by patience, easing closer to its prey a little at a time before it strikes. It is mostly peaceful with fish too big to eat but will swallow smaller ones, so keep it only with robust, similar-sized tankmates and choose them carefully. It is not a shoaling fish, but a single specimen or a small group can be kept in a large, well structured tank. Give it a shaded, well planted layout with wood and caves. Offer meaty foods: earthworm, prawn, mussel, and chunky frozen fare. A tank of around 160 liters with dim light and cover suits it.

In the wild

Ctenopoma ocellatum lives in the middle Congo basin, among slow, shaded margins, submerged wood, and leaf litter. Recreate that with driftwood tangles, dense planting at the edges, dark substrate, and low lighting. It likes warm, soft to neutral water, about 23 to 28 C at roughly pH 6.0 to 7.5, with calm flow and plenty of shadow for it to lurk in and drift out from.

Good to know

Ctenopoma ocellatum is an African labyrinth fish in the family Anabantidae, reaching about 15 centimeters, and named for the dark, ringed eyespot near the base of its tail. Unlike the bubble-nesting Microctenopoma, true Ctenopoma scatter free-floating eggs and give no parental care, and this species has no established aquarium breeding record. It breathes air at the surface through a labyrinth organ.

Did you know

The ringed spot near its tail is a decoy. A predator aiming for that false eye strikes at the wrong end and gets a mouthful of fin, giving the bushfish a fraction of a second to turn and bolt the other way.