# African Butterfly fish



## kris2336 (Feb 25, 2004)

I have and African butterfly fish that I just love and just recently added a few fancy guppies to my tank. I have one black tailed guppy that attacks my butterfly fish. It bites it and won't leave it alone. I have removed him from the tank and the other guppies don't bother him. I thought that butterfly fish were aggresive toward smaller fish but this one won't even fight back or anything. Why is this one doing this? And after this happen someone told me that guppies would eat the fins off of other fish; is this true?


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Butterfly fish are very peaceful, basically they want to be left alone, and are helpless against attacks from below. They will eat smaller fish that swim at the surface. So it's best to keep them with fish that are either large and mellow, or stay in the lower areas of the tank.


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## kris2336 (Feb 25, 2004)

My butterfly fish died a few hours after posting this. After I got it out trying to figure out why it had died, I found 3 or 4 bloody bite marks on its side. I think that is what might had caused it. It hadn't been acting any different than usual.  I am going to miss watching it and plan on getting another.


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## 2la (Aug 18, 2002)

I wouldn't blame the guppies--my hunch is that the fish was sick long before the biting started. Fish seem to have a sixth sense about these things and will take advantage of the situation for an easy meal.


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## Raul-7 (Oct 17, 2003)

Would Butterfly fish eat Hatchets?


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Maybe tiny ones, but regular sized hatchets don't fit in their mouths. I would not keep them with hatchets though, they are too nervous for the quiet Butterflies.
A good fish to keep in the top section of the tank with African Butterflies is the Pearl Gourami.


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

Wasserpest said:


> Maybe tiny ones, but regular sized hatchets don't fit in their mouths. I would not keep them with hatchets though, they are too nervous for the quiet Butterflies.
> A good fish to keep in the top section of the tank with African Butterflies is the Pearl Gourami.


What do you feed them? also do they tend to jump or no...?


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## Grah the great (Jul 3, 2013)

BettaBettas said:


> What do you feed them? also do they tend to jump or no...?


Butterflyfish don't jump, they fly...with similar results  Make sure they have a very good lid.
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(By the way, they don't really fly...but they sure look like they should)


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

Grah the great said:


> Butterflyfish don't jump, they fly...with similar results  Make sure they have a very good lid.
> ....
> ....
> ....
> (By the way, they don't really fly...but they sure look like they should)


lol thank you for the response, quick service right! :nerd: im sure by fly you mean they like jump out of the water quickly and kind of glide, like those fish in the everglades, flying fish? cant remember but they are to stunning and "Majestic." 
My tank will have a lid, glass as normal. just wondering to make sure I have it on tight LOL :laugh2:


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## Grah the great (Jul 3, 2013)

I could've sworn reading they glide, but I couldn't find the reference. What is certain is that they JUMP, and very well.


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

Hatchet fish (they're a Characin like tetras..) actually do fly by vibrating their oversized pectoral fins when they jump out of the water. The extra thrust from their flapping fins propels them for several meters, but unlike ocean going flying fish they don't actually fly out of their own ground (water) effect.

This strategy let's them escape from hungry Arrowanas, and helps them catch flying insects.


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## brokenleg (Jul 17, 2019)

I have 350l tank.. and guppies I enjoy to watch however they seem to have over populated the tank...well there well on the way in doing so.. I have room to but in more fish but thinking of a predator not to smash my guppies but to take a few little new borns. heaps of hiding places as the tank is fulling planted and established.. butterfly?? to hard core? betta ?? peal or honey gouramis have even thought about a angelfish..


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## DaveKS (Apr 2, 2019)

brokenleg said:


> I have 350l tank.. and guppies I enjoy to watch however they seem to have over populated the tank...well there well on the way in doing so.. I have room to but in more fish but thinking of a predator not to smash my guppies but to take a few little new borns. heaps of hiding places as the tank is fulling planted and established.. butterfly?? to hard core? betta ?? peal or honey gouramis have even thought about a angelfish..


A school of 6-7 marble hatchetfish will knock off any infant guppy that strays into that top layer of 6-7” water they inhabit. That might be enough to keep population of guppy at bay. But their also jumpers so a top is required. 

Some of the larger 2-3” danio would also get job done. Both hatchet and danio are fast fish that will cull out infants.

Some of med-large rainbowfish would also do a good job at culling infants plus their real lookers when they get up to 3-5”.










Butterfly goby is a small freshwater lion fish, is bottom layer predator that likes darker substrate. Even a 2” sized one will take down 1” guppy no problem. Very interesting fish to watch their behavior and is actually hard to get them take prepared food so they will be feeding on your guppy at bottom.


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