Niger Delta bushfish

Ctenopoma nebulosum

Also known as Nebulous ctenopoma, Dusky bushfish

FreshwaterFish

Niger Delta bushfish (Ctenopoma nebulosum) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.2
Adult size: 4.7 in (12 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: Niger Delta, Nigeria
Family: Anabantidae

Overview

The Niger Delta bushfish is a leaf-shaped ambush predator that hangs among cover and drifts up on its prey, much like its better-known leopard relative. It is mostly peaceful toward fish it cannot eat, but it will take anything small enough to swallow, so keep it only with sturdy, similar-sized tankmates chosen with care. It does not need a group, but one or a few can be kept in a large, well structured tank. Give it dim light and dense cover of wood and plants. Feed it on earthworm, prawn, and meaty frozen foods. A shaded tank of around 160 liters suits it.

In the wild

Ctenopoma nebulosum is known only from the far southeast of Nigeria, in the tannin-stained creeks and rivers of the Niger Delta and the lower Cross River, among roots and leaf litter in soft, shaded water. Recreate that with driftwood, dried leaves, shade plants, and a dark bottom under low light. It likes warm, soft, slightly acidic water, about 23 to 28 C at roughly pH 6.0 to 7.2, with gentle flow.

Good to know

Ctenopoma nebulosum is an African labyrinth fish of the family Anabantidae, reaching about 12 centimeters and known only from a small corner of southeast Nigeria. It was described in 1990 by Norris and Teugels, and its name comes from the Latin for cloudy or dark, describing its heavily mottled body. As a true Ctenopoma it scatters floating eggs with no parental care, and it has no established breeding record in aquaria.

Did you know

Its name is a weather report. Nebulosum comes from the Latin for cloudy or overcast, given for the smoky, mottled markings that break up its outline against a background of sunken leaves and shadow.