Leopard Bushfish
Ctenopoma acutirostre
Anabantidae
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About
The leopard bushfish is sold at 4-5 cm as a pretty, slow-moving oddball, and the label almost never mentions the part that matters: the mouth. Ctenopoma acutirostre is an ambush predator shaped like a drifting dead leaf. It hangs, it tilts, it does nothing for hours, and then a hinged, protrusible jaw opens to nearly the width of its own head. FishBase records 15 cm, wild fish reach 20 cm, and most aquarium specimens settle around 15. At that size it swallows any tankmate under roughly 8 cm — neon tetras, guppies, small rasboras, young corydoras — and it does so after dark, so the tank simply holds fewer fish in the morning. This is not aggression in the usual sense: it never chases, never nips, never displays. It just eats. As an anabantid it also breathes atmospheric air and needs a layer of warm, humid air above the surface to do it safely.
Care
Give it a long, dim, heavily furnished tank — Seriously Fish sets the minimum base at 120 x 30 cm — with bogwood, tall plants and leaf litter to hang among. In a bare, brightly lit tank you will simply never see it. Soft, slightly acidic water at 23-26 °C with gentle filtration. Choose tankmates by size, not by temperament: nothing under about 8 cm survives with an adult, and anything larger is ignored completely. Keep one, or several in a large tank — they jostle mildly but rarely injure each other. The lid must be tight but must leave an air gap above the water, because the labyrinth organ needs warm humid air and a cold draught across the surface will kill the fish. Feed frozen and live foods; many specimens never learn to take dry food.
Diet
Obligate predator that stalks its prey. Bloodworm, small earthworms and chopped prawn for young fish; whole prawn, mussel, fish strips, river shrimp and larger earthworms for adults. No mammalian or avian meat, no feeder fish. Some individuals take sinking pellets; many never do.
Tankmate compatibility
Possible with care (285)
Avoid (133)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.
Telling males from females
There is no reliable way to sex this species by eye. That is the honest answer, not a gap in our data.
All the methods, with diagramsSimilar species
Same category and the closest water parameters — if this species isn't quite it, start here.
Sold in Lithuania
These Lithuanian shops listed this species in their public catalogue (checked August 8, 2026). Stock moves — ask before you travel.
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Frequently asked questions
- What tank size does a Leopard Bushfish need?
- A Leopard Bushfish needs an aquarium of at least 150 litres (39.6 US gallons) with a footprint at least 120 cm (47.2 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Leopard Bushfish need?
- Leopard Bushfish does best at 20–28 °C (68–82.4 °F), pH 5.5–7.5 and a general hardness of 2–12 °dGH.
- Is the Leopard Bushfish suitable for beginners?
- Leopard Bushfish sits in the middle of the difficulty scale — manageable for a careful beginner who has done the reading, but it has specific needs worth researching first.