Guyana Leaffish
Polycentrus schomburgkii
Brackish South America
A masters of camouflage, this fascinating ambush hunter mimics a decaying dead leaf drifting among roots. Its cavernous mouth swallows prey up to half its own length. It usually refuses prepared flakes or pellets completely and demands regular offerings of live feeder insects, crustaceans, or small fish.
Also called: Guyana leaffish, King coscarob, Schomburgk's leaffish.
Try it in the planner Opens a tank sized to its minimum with 1 fish added.
What it needs
| Item | Value | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Adult length | 5.5 cm | Used for the Space check: the tank must be long enough for the fish to turn round. |
| Smallest tank | 70 L, at least 60 cm long estimated | The least water and floor length this species is kept in for good, as a single fish or smallest group. |
| Extra water per added fish | 8 L estimated | What each further fish adds once the minimum is met. |
| Waste load | Class 2 of 5 estimated | How much waste an adult makes against its size. Feeds the Load check. |
| Temperature | 22 to 28 C | Stock sharing a tank need overlapping ranges. |
| pH | 6.5 to 7.5 | Compared with tankmates in the Water check. |
| Hardness | GH 5 to 15, KH 3 to 8 | Degrees of general and carbonate hardness. |
| Flow | Low | Low-flow fish are stressed in a strong current. |
| Light | Dim | Matched to the lighting class on the needs sheet. |
| Group size | Single fish is fine | Not a schooling species. |
| Temperament | Predator | Territorial: weak. |
| Swims in | Middle water | Fish that use different levels share a tank more easily. |
| Lifespan | About 4 years | A fish is a long commitment. |
| Experience | Experienced keepers only | A guide to how forgiving the species is of mistakes. |
Tags marked estimated are judged from the size and habits of the species rather than measured, so treat them as a sensible default.
Diet and tank layout
Guyana Leaffish is an carnivore that swims in the middle of the tank. It is safe with plants. Give it plenty of cover. It will eat fish small enough to swallow.
Tankmates
Works with
No close matches in the data. Check the pair tool.
Avoid
- Yucatan Sailfin Molly
- Figure Eight Puffer
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Indian Glassy Fish
- Silver Moony
- Spotted Scat
- African Moony
- Banded Archerfish
- Columbian Shark
- Orange Chromide
- Bumblebee Goby
- Four-Eyed Fish
- Spotted Archerfish
- Ceylon Puffer
- Green Chromide
- Silver Scat
- Banded Killifish
- Banded Lampeye
- Banded Puffer
- Belly Pipefish
- Blueback Blue-Eye
- Green Panchax
- Javanese Ricefish
- Mummichog
- Queen of Siam Goby
- Shortfin Molly
Compare any two fish on the compatibility page, or print the equipment for a stock on the needs sheet. How this is worked out: the method.