Spotted Climbing Perch (Ctenopoma acutirostre) Care Guide
A fascinating ambush predator from Central Africa that mimics a dead leaf drifting in the water to sneak up on prey. Its body is covered in dark leopard-like spots on a tan background.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Ctenopoma acutirostre is a species in the family Anabantidae. A fascinating ambush predator from Central Africa that mimics a dead leaf drifting in the water to sneak up on prey. Its body is covered in dark leopard-like spots on a tan background. A labyrinth fish like bettas and gouramis, it can breathe atmospheric air. Patient and slow-moving, it will eat anything that fits in its surprisingly large mouth.
Taxonomy
- Family: Anabantidae
- Genus: Ctenopoma
- Scientific name: Ctenopoma acutirostre
- Other names: Leopard Bushfish, Spotted Ctenopoma, African Leaf Fish
- Origin: Africa, Congo Basin
Habitat
Ctenopoma acutirostre is a labyrinth fish from slow, vegetated waters of the Congo basin in central Africa. A patient ambush predator, it drifts among plants and wood and takes small fish and invertebrates; it breathes air via a labyrinth organ.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 150 L
- Temperature: 23-28 °C
- pH: 6-7.5
- GH: 3-15 °dGH
- Water flow: low
- Adult size: 12-15 cm
- Lifespan: 5-10 years
- Difficulty: intermediate
Diet
Classified as carnivore. Recommended feeding frequency: 1x daily. In captivity, offer a varied diet appropriate to the species — quality prepared foods supplemented with frozen or live items of suitable size.
Compatibility
- Temperament: semi-aggressive
- Position in tank: middle
- Compatible tank mates: Congo Tetra, Synodontis Catfish, Kribensis, Large Barbs
- Avoid with: Small Fish, Shrimp, Small Tetras, Guppies
Breeding
- Breeding difficulty: advanced
Spotted Climbing Perch (Ctenopoma acutirostre) Breeding Guide
Overview
Ctenopoma acutirostre is an anabantoid that has been bred in aquaria, but there are very few reports of it spawning in captivity, and fry survival is typically low despite enormous brood sizes. It may not reach sexual maturity until five to ten years of age. It is an egg-scatterer that gives no parental care.
Sexing
Males have more spines on the gill covers and a roughly textured area at the base of the caudal peduncle that is absent in females. This patch is the most useful sexing feature in mature fish.
Conditioning
As a carnivore, condition the pair heavily on meaty foods to bring the female into spawning condition. The species appears to be a seasonal spawner, spawning regularly for a period of months and then stopping.
Breeding Setup
Provide floating vegetation at the surface to receive the buoyant eggs, since this is where the eggs collect after spawning. Because the adults eat neither show parental care nor protect the spawn, plan to remove them once eggs are released.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
The pair embrace in the usual anabantoid fashion, at which point eggs and sperm are released. The eggs float to the surface, where they come to rest among the floating vegetation. Several thousand eggs may be deposited in a single spawning. The adults exhibit no parental care and should be removed at this point.
Egg & Fry Care
Eggs hatch within about 48 hours and the fry become free-swimming quickly. Offer infusoria for the first couple of days, then graduate to Artemia (brine shrimp) nauplii. Despite the large number of eggs, survival is usually low, so a clean, well-managed rearing tank with abundant first food is important.
Common Challenges
The combination of very late maturity, scarce spawning reports and low fry survival makes this a difficult species to reproduce. The seasonal spawning pattern also means a productive period may stop without obvious cause.