leaf fish

[Anonymous]

bought 2 leaf fish recently. If they are not quarrelsome, maybe i get a few more. where else selling? The ones I bought looks a bit like siam tiger and cost around $1.50 each. bought the last two, so don't know if still have there. some extra info on the fish will be great. thks.

[kelstorm]

seen it at tiong bahru at the 6 fingered guy shop.. price i dun know.. never ask..

[Simon]

Monocirrhus polyacanthus, South American leaf-fish.. thet found in the peru region, can grow up to 12cm and live in PH below 7, there is one prob, they r live feeders..

[kelstorm]

their natural prey is cardinals according to the documentary i seen on TV, not sure whether will they eat other live fishes.... in tiong bahru, i saw neons inside their tank..

[Simon]

kel, what u think they put neon tetra in there for? Gan brought some in a while ago too... he warn us abt their feeding habits

[Anonymous]

The lfs label them "siamese leaf fish". couldn't find much info about them. shape like siam tiger. the pattern looks like marble gopy.

[Simon]

there is something called the tiger leaf-fish, Pristolepis grooti or African leaf-fish, Polycentropsis abbreviata

[kelstorm]

kel, what u think they put neon tetra in there for? Gan brought some in a while ago too... he warn us abt their feeding habits
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u can't be serious lah.. if their diet consist of only neons.. very expensive to keep leh.. crazy.. no offense to those who keeps them.. but if u do.. i hope that your fish does consume some other forms of feeder fish.. worst come to worst.. paint some cyan and red on the fish.. []

[stormhawk]

c328 is selling an Asian relative of the Leaffish monocirrhus polyacanthus. i think it's one of the Polycentrus species. they'll eat any feeder fish that comes near. not necessarily just neons.

[Mez]

Guys, there are quite a few species of leaf fish. Most of them only eat live food. They are a very intresting fish indeed.

South American Leaffish

Monocirrhus polyacanthus

Origin: Amazon River
Size: 3 inches
Temperament: A very predatious fish. Keep with fish that are not too active and cannot fit in its mouth.
Temperature: 73F* - 85*F
Sexing: Males have larger fins.
Feeding: Feed live fish and bloodworm.
Tank decor: Lots of broad leaved plants (like amazon swords)
Spawning: Hard. Leaffish will spawn on a leaf of a broad-leafed plant such as giant sagittaria. They young get covered in white spots - this is natural, it is not whitespot/ick.

African Leaffish

Polycentropsis abbreviata

Origin: Lagos, Niger and oggué, Africa
Size: 4 inches
Temperament: A very predatious fish. Keep with fish that are not too active and cannot fit in its mouth.
Temperature: 70*F - 80*F
Sexing: Hard. The female is "heavier" than the male during spawning.
Feeding: The African Leaffish will usually only eat live food..small fishes are prayed upon expertly.
Tank decor: Lots of broad leaves and bogwood.
Spawning: This fish has been spawned in home aquaria. The male will select the underside of a leaf, under which there is plenty of dense, dark vegetation. He will begin to blow hundreds of stick bubbles, much like a betta. Then the female will come by and place her eggs on the bubbles, attatched to the leaf. After spawning, it is best to remove the female, as the male may turn on her and kill her. The male can be left with the fry.

Schomburgk's Leaffish

Polycentrus schomburgki

Origin: Guianas and Trinidad
Size: 4 inches
Temperament: Not a community species. Has been known to eat fish almost its own legnth.
Temperature: 68*F - 85*F
Sexing: Male is darker than the female.
Feeding: All sorts of worms, live fish.
Tank Decor: Lots of plants and bogwood, and a few caves.
Spawning: Use a large flowerpot or coconut shell placed in thick vegetation in the darkest possible corner of the aquarium. Fry should be fed infusoria and baby brine shrimp for the first few weeks.

Ok guys, thats enough typing for me!
Hope that helped someone..
Mez

[elmike]

Great job Mez! Just like to say I appreciate your dedication in posting the info. It's good for our education!

[Mez]

Thanks! I'm always glad to help!
James

[David]

hey....what's the leaffish got to do with the cichlid guru?[] anyway great stuff you just posted james

[Mez]

David, i am just generally amazing at anything freshwater and aquatic!

[Anonymous]

The african type looks similar to asian type. How to tell the difference? The asian types scientic names : nandus nebulosus and nandus nandus. ( if I didn't find wrongly )

also, heard a local lfs mix them with siam tiger and possibly sell them at the price of the siam tiger, which is higher, so beware. The asian leafish cost around $1.20 to $2+ only, at some shops.

[stormhawk]

siam tiger costs $13 at Rainbow. c328 had some polycentropsis abbreviata for sale.