TankBud

Leopard bush fish

Ctenopoma acutirostre

Also known as Leopard bushfish

FreshwaterFish

Leopard bush fish (Ctenopoma acutirostre)
Zaire · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–82°F
20–28°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
6.3 in
16 cm
Minimum tank
40 gal
150 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Egg scatterer
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Anabantidae
Origin
Congo Basin

Overview

The leopard bush fish is a stealthy ambush predator for a shady, well-decorated community of larger fish. Despite its predatory habits, it is an easy, hardy fish.

Did you know

The leopard bush fish drifts at an angle and hangs almost motionless, looking like a dead, spotted leaf. When a small fish comes close enough, it inhales it in a single gulp.

Caring for the leopard bush fish

Give the leopard bush fish a shady, well-decorated tank of at least 40 gal (150 L). Use plenty of driftwood, tangled roots and robust plants, with floating cover overhead to keep it dim. A dark substrate and scattered leaves help it show its bold leopard markings. It drifts in the middle of the tank among the wood and plants.

Keep the temperature at 68 to 82°F (20 to 28°C) and the pH at 6.0 to 7.5, in soft to moderately hard water. Feed meaty foods such as earthworm, prawn, mussel and larger frozen items. Be patient when weaning it onto dry pellets.

The leopard bush fish is a slow, stealthy predator. It is peaceful toward anything too big to eat but will happily swallow small fish and shrimp. Keep it singly or in a small group, with medium to large calm community fish.

It scatters floating eggs and gives no parental care. Aquarium breeding is seldom recorded.

Good to know

The leopard bush fish, Ctenopoma acutirostre, belongs to the family Anabantidae, the same African and Asian group as the climbing perch. Its cream body is covered in dark, leopard-like blotches, and young fish carry an eyespot near the tail. As a labyrinth fish, it breathes air.

In the wild

The leopard bush fish lives in the Congo River basin in central Africa, in warm, slow, shaded waters full of submerged wood and leaf litter. It relies on cover and dappled light to ambush prey.

Common questions

What size tank does a leopard bush fish need?

A leopard bush fish needs at least 40 gal (150 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a leopard bush fish need?

A leopard bush fish is comfortable at 68–82°F (20–28°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a leopard bush fish eat?

A leopard bush fish eats meaty foods such as earthworm, prawn, mussel and larger frozen items. It also swallows small fish and shrimp, and it takes patience to wean onto dry pellets.

How big does a leopard bush fish get?

An adult leopard bush fish reaches about 6.3 in (16 cm).

How does a leopard bush fish breed?

A leopard bush fish scatters floating eggs and gives them no parental care. Breeding in aquariums is seldom recorded.

Related species