Ornate Ctenopoma
Microctenopoma ansorgii
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 7 cm
- Minimum tank
- 68 litres
- Temperature
- 20–27 °C
Species profile
Mottled Ctenopoma
Ctenopoma weeksii
Common names: Mottled Ctenopoma, Marbled Climbing Perch, Sharpnose Climbing Perch
Recognized speciesGouramis
Adult size
Up to 10 cm
Up to 10 cm
Countries of origin
Good fit for your tank?
Good fit for
- A keeper who has researched this fish and can match its needs
Think carefully if
- You keep smaller fish, which it may eat
- You keep shrimp you want to protect
An African relative of the gouramis, with a mottled body and a patient, ambush style of hunting. Keep alone or in a small group in 68 litres or more.
Appearance and Identification
An African relative of the gouramis, with a mottled body and a patient, ambush style of hunting. It will eat any fish small enough to swallow.
Check the scientific name when buying, as common names vary between sellers and countries.
Sexes are usually hard to tell apart.
Tank Requirements
- Suggested filter
- About 140–200 litres an hour
- Suggested heater
- About 75–100 W for this tank
- Minimum tank volume
- 68 litres
- Minimum tank length
- 75 cm
- Minimum group size
- 1
- Recommended group size
- 1
- Activity level
- Moderate
- Flow preference
- Low
- Planting preference
- Moderately planted
- Hiding places
- Yes
- Lid recommended
- Yes
- Jumping risk
- High
Allow plenty of room, use a very secure lid and fit strong filtration. Predators produce a lot of waste, and many are strong jumpers.
Behaviour and Tankmates
A predator that spends much of its time watching and waiting for prey.
Usually best alone, or in a very large tank with others of its size.
Many are intolerant of their own kind.
It will eat any fish that fits in its mouth, so keep it with fish too big to swallow, or alone. It is likely to eat shrimp.
Water Parameters
Keep the pH steady, because this fish is sensitive to swings. Keep the temperature steady.
Parameter caveat
Keep up regular water changes, and acclimatise new fish slowly.
Feeding
- Diet types
- Carnivore, Predator
- Feeding frequency
- Daily
- Preferred foods
- Quality carnivore pelletsWorth training it onto these, as they are balanced and clean.
- Frozen prawn, mussel and fishUse a variety. Avoid a diet of feeder fish, which can bring in disease.
- EarthwormsA good food, and most predators take them readily.
An ambush predator that eats insects, worms and small fish. Offer frozen bloodworm, mysis and earthworms; some learn to take pellets.
Feed small amounts, and remove anything left after a few minutes.
Breeding
- Breeding type
- Egg Scatterer
- Breeding difficulty
- Moderate
- Parental care
- None
- Baby foods
- InfusoriaNeeded for the first days, because most fry are very small.
- Newly hatched brine shrimpIntroduce as soon as the fry can take it.
An egg scatterer with no parental care. Adults eat eggs and fry, so use a separate tank with fine plants, moss or mesh on the bottom, and remove the adults after spawning. The fry need very small foods at first.
Habitat and Origin
- Geographic origin
- Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Natural habitat
- Lake, Swamp
- Aquarium contexts
- Planted Aquarium
- Audience level
- Intermediate
Classification
- Profile type
- Recognized species
- Genus
- Ctenopoma
- Family
- Anabantidae
- Species group
- Fish, Gouramis
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Paradise Fish
Macropodus opercularis
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 6–8 cm
- Minimum tank
- 70 litres
- Temperature
- 10–22 °C
Pearl Gourami
Trichopodus leerii
- Care level
- Beginner
- Adult size
- 10–12 cm
- Minimum tank
- 80 litres
- Temperature
- 24–30 °C
Pink Kissing Gourami
Helostoma temminckii
- Care level
- Advanced
- Adult size
- 25 cm
- Minimum tank
- 304 litres
- Temperature
- 22–30 °C