Monocirrhus polyacanthus:
I recently had the pleasure of adding one of these fish to my collection.
most of the time the fish you will see in stores is the "spotted leaf fish" this is actually a species of small african perch.
Max Size: 4 inch
preferred pH: 6.0-6.5
hardness: 1-10 dH
sexual dimorphism: Difficult to sex the female is plumper when full of eggs
breeding: hard to do in captivity according to the sources I have come by, I have not bred them myself
Distribution:
these fish are found in the slow moving-still waters of south america (peru, brazil, guyana). It easy to see why with small pectoral fins, and a a swimming style that imitates that of a drifting leaf they would simply be carried away by the current. Fe
Feeding:
I believe this is where the difficulty comes when keeping these fish. first of all the eat a lot, and they are notoriously hard to get on flakes/pellets.
my leaf fish rarely accept morsels of worm so he is kept on a diet of small convict cichlids/gupies and some insects on the off chance that he will eat them
Behavior:
this is not a fish for beginners as it will lose its shine soon. it does not move very much and mostly stays in one place, doing what it does best..... pretending to be a leaf (shocker)
you will find that they have excellent eye site to aid them on their hunt along with their lateral lines. I once say my leaf fish stalking a worm that was making its way across my stand.
their mouths are also very large and extend far out of their heads creating a vacume according to National Geographics "Built for Kill" they can open and shut their mouth taking in a fish in .16 seconds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wORJ7oJp6g
Things to watch out for:
these fish are prone to fungal infections if not kept in acidic water, they are also sensitive to water conditions.
they were rated a "7" on difficulty scale (1-10 ten being hardest) and I attribute this to their picky eating. my fish settled down fast and was eating on the next day.
problems with infection I have had none and hope that none will develop, all should be fine as long as I keep his water conditions good
Dustin Wunderlich Online
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