All fish / Polycentridae

Amazon Leaffish

Monocirrhus polyacanthus

Also known as leaf fish, south american leaffish, amazon leaf fish, leaffish, leafe fish, ปลาใบไม้, リーフフィッシュ, ikan daun, 枯叶鱼, 南美枯叶鱼

This fish looks remarkably like a drifting dead leaf, with a flattened brown mottled body, a pointed head and a small barbel on the lower jaw that resembles a leaf stalk. Hobbyists keep it for its camouflage and its slow, patient hunting, which ends with a sudden strike using a very protrusible mouth.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

8 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

5 to 6.8

Smallest tank

100 litres

Keep as

Singly, in a pair or a small group of its own kind

Diet

Carnivore: live small fish, glassworms and other live invertebrates; it seldom accepts dead food

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Amazon, Negro and Essequibo basins: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana

Breeding

Pairs spawn on a cleaned leaf or flat surface and the male guards the eggs until they hatch. Captive breeding has been done, but it is uncommon because the fish need soft acidic water and the fry need a steady supply of live food.

Good to know

It will swallow any fish up to roughly half its own length, so keep it only with tankmates too big to eat or in a species tank. Most specimens are wild caught and many refuse anything except live fish, so check feeding before you buy.