# African Butterfly Fish



## purpleflower (Sep 25, 2007)

African Butterfly Fish, I just bought one thinking it was an upside down catfish! I have swordtails, tetras and corys. Is it compatible with these? My tank is 240 liters,, Measurements: 121 x 41 x 55 cm.
Any advice would be great, as I'm completely lost! I am reading about them now on the Internet. it is a cool fish I love it.


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## purpleflower (Sep 25, 2007)

ok the Internet give me no use full information! I'm worried it will eat my fish!


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

after reading a few of Beki's links, I see they get like 4", so I'd guess the smaller swords would be lunch, and as it nears adulthood, the tetras might even be at risk. General rule is that big fish eat smaller fish.


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

They won't eat swordtails, might eat tetras... it really depends on the individual. Some will even swoop down to the bottom to pick off smaller fish, and some won't even give them a second look. 
Make sure you have a cover on the tank, and food other than flakes...


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## MissMod (Jan 24, 2008)

I have an African butterfly and I have small Danios in the tank with him and he just leaves them alone. They prefer insects like crickets for food, but if you can get him to eat flakes or small pellets then that's good.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Yeah, I have to agree; they are certainly able to eat remarkably large fish, but almost never bother doing so. Keep it well-fed and give it a clump of floating plants so it feels secure, and your other fish will have a good chance of being ignored.


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## Chaos553 (Apr 2, 2007)

I guess it really all depends on how hungry he is. I have one in a 38g and he doesnt bother any of my other tetras and actually became somewhat friends with my betta. They love insects though, so keep that in mind.


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## purpleflower (Sep 25, 2007)

thanks for all the help. the fish only cost me 6 euros so I gave him back to the pet store today! I'm going away for a few days, so now I won't have to worry about having someone come feed it. It was a pretty cool fish but I'm going to stick to my favorite pet shop where they will give me all the information about fish! I'm a little dissapointed that it wasn't an upside down catfish! It was my first time ever seeing a butterfly fish.


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