Species description

Care, breeding and tankmates

Fish profile

Temperament

Semi-aggressive

It exhibits a strongly predatory, territorial, and moderately aggressive temperament toward other members of its own species. This cichlid is an active and explosive swimmer that requires wide open spaces to swim and perform rapid pursuits. In properly sized aquariums, it shows calm and regal behavior toward species that do not represent potential prey or territorial rivals.

Diet

Omnivore

This species is an extremely efficient carnivorous and piscivorous predator that requires highly proteinaceous foods. In the aquarium, it must be fed with meaty foods such as fresh prawns, mussels, raw fish fillets, and high-quality large pellets formulated for predatory carnivores. It is advisable to avoid feeding live feeder fish to exclude the risk of transmitting parasites and diseases harmful to the tank.

Sex ratio

Solitary

Butterfly peacock bass do not strictly require a specific sex ratio in the home aquarium outside of breeding attempts. They are generally kept as solitary show fish or in small, heavily monitored groups in massive public-sized aquariums. If breeding is the goal, keeping a group of juveniles together until a natural pair forms is the best approach, as forced pairings of mature adults often lead to lethal aggression. Otherwise, sex ratio is largely an inapplicable metric for standard hobbyist setups due to their enormous tank size requirements.

Feeding frequency

Twice daily

It is recommended to feed young specimens once or twice daily to support their rapid structural growth. For mature adults, the frequency should be reduced to feeding every other day or two to three times a week to avoid premature fattening of internal organs. This slowed rhythm mimics the natural hunting and prolonged digestion behavior of large predators in the wild.

Bioload

The butterfly peacock bass is a massive, predatory cichlid that produces a remarkably high biological load. Their diet consists of heavy, protein-rich foods such as whole fish, shrimp, and large pellets, which results in significant and rapid waste production. To maintain healthy water parameters, the aquarium requires heavy-duty filtration, massive biological media capacity, and frequent, large-volume water changes. They are entirely unsuitable for standard filtration systems and require specialized, high-turnover sump or canister setups.

Flow

Stagnant

It prefers slow to moderate water movement, favoring calm river bends in the wild, but requires extraordinary oxygenation and filtration. A constant and well-distributed water flow supports the elimination of waste resulting from heavy meals and ensures a healthy environment. It is essential to have monumental sumps or external canister filters to ensure water purity.

Reproduction

Oviparous

They are substrate spawners that form monogamous pairs during the breeding season in the Amazon basin. Both parents take care of preparing a smooth stone or flat surface for depositing the adhesive eggs, guarding them fiercely. Breeding in home aquariums is exceptionally rare due to the need for tanks of enormous proportions to house the breeding pair.

Compatibility & tankmates

This species is suitable only for cohabitation with monumental-sized and robust fish that cannot fit into its large protrusible mouth. Ideal tankmates include arowanas, large armored catfish, freshwater stingrays, and predatory cichlids of similar size. Any smaller fish will be considered food and swallowed instantly thanks to its lightning-fast hunting reflexes.

Tank level

All levels

These dynamic predators utilize the middle to upper levels of the water column to patrol and hunt. They are highly active cruisers that require massive amounts of open swimming space to thrive. While they may rest briefly near the bottom, their predatory nature draws them upward toward the surface to scan for food and strike at top-water prey. Aquascaping should be minimal and restricted to the bottom to allow unobstructed swimming in the upper regions of the tank.