African Butterfly Cichlid (Anomalochromis thomasi) – Tank Bred
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For the safety of our animals, we now ship live fish exclusively via UPS Next Day Air. If your order contains this item, you will only see UPS Next Day Air as a shipping option during checkout.
The African Butterfly Cichlid is one of the most peaceful, elegant, and underrated cichlids in the aquarium hobby. Native to West Africa, this species brings subtle color, graceful movement, and calm personality to planted and community aquariums. Unlike most cichlids, Anomalochromis thomasi is gentle, socially balanced, and well-suited for aquascaped environments.
Our specimens are tank bred, making them more adaptable, stable in captivity, and well-suited for home aquariums compared to wild-caught imports. Their soft iridescent blues, reds, and yellows shimmer under aquarium lighting, creating a living “butterfly” effect as they move through the tank.
What We Love About This Fish:
• Peaceful Cichlid Personality: Exceptionally calm for a cichlid species — perfect for community tanks.
• Subtle Iridescent Coloration: Natural blues, reds, and gold tones that glow without being overpowering.
• Graceful Movement: Slow, flowing swimming style that adds calm visual rhythm to the aquarium.
• Tank-Bred Stability: Adaptable, hardy, and easier to acclimate than wild-caught specimens.
Natural Habitat:
Anomalochromis thomasi is native to slow-moving forest streams and rivers of Sierra Leone and Liberia, where the water is soft, slightly acidic, and rich in leaf litter. These habitats are shaded by dense forest canopy, with submerged roots, driftwood, smooth stones, and decomposing botanicals creating a dark, tannin-stained environment.
Water flow is gentle, structure is abundant, and the substrate is typically sandy or fine sediment, making these fish naturally adapted to calm, heavily structured environments with natural cover.
Aquascaping:
• Plants: Anubias, Java Fern, Cryptocoryne, Moneywort, Amazon Sword, floating plants for soft shade
• Hardscape: Malaysian driftwood, spiderwood, smooth river stones, rounded rock formations
• Botanicals: Indian Almond Leaves, alder cones, seed pods, leaf litter for tannins and biofilm
This species thrives in natural-style aquascapes that emphasize soft structure, layered depth, and organic materials.
Diet and Feeding:
African Butterfly Cichlids are omnivorous with a preference for protein-rich foods.
They thrive on:
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High-quality micro pellets and flakes
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Frozen foods (brine shrimp, daphnia, bloodworms)
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Live foods as enrichment
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Occasional vegetable-based foods for balance
A varied diet enhances coloration, health, and breeding behavior.
Tank Mates and Compatibility:
African Butterfly Cichlids are peaceful, social fish that integrate well into calm community aquariums. They do well with tetras, rasboras, Corydoras, peaceful barbs, small loaches, and other gentle West African species. Avoid housing them with aggressive cichlids, fin-nipping fish, or large predatory species. Outside of breeding pairs, they are calm, non-territorial, and community-safe, making them an excellent choice for balanced, planted aquariums.
Shrimp Compatibility:
Shrimp Safe with Caution
Adult shrimp may coexist in well-planted tanks, but shrimp fry may be preyed upon. Dense plant cover and botanicals improve survival rates.
Breeding:
Relatively easy to breed in captivity.
Pairs form naturally and will spawn on flat surfaces such as stones or wood.
Both parents actively guard eggs and fry, making them excellent biparental cichlid parents.
Tank-bred lines show strong parental instincts and stable breeding behavior.
Recommended Tank Parameters:
• Temperature: 75–82°F (24–28°C)
• pH: 6.0–7.2
• KH: 2–6 dKH
• Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons
Care Guidelines:
• Diet: Omnivore with protein preference
• Social Behavior: Peaceful, best kept in pairs or small groups
• Origin: Tank bred
• Average Adult Size: 2.5 – 3 inches
• Average Purchase Size: 1 – 1.5 inches
Why We Curate This Species:
The African Butterfly Cichlid represents what modern aquatics should be — beautiful, peaceful, natural, and balanced. It offers all the personality of a cichlid without the aggression, making it a perfect choice for aquascapers, community tank keepers, and breeders alike.
It’s a fish that doesn’t dominate a tank — it completes it.
Live Arrival Guarantee:
All Aquatic Arts animals are backed by our 100% Live Arrival Guarantee, plus free expert support to ensure long-term success with your aquarium.
African Butterfly Cichlid (Anomalochromis thomasi) – Q&A
1. Are African Butterfly Cichlids aggressive?
No. They are one of the most peaceful cichlid species and are well-suited for community aquariums.
2. Can they live in a community tank?
Yes. They thrive in calm community tanks with peaceful fish like tetras, rasboras, Corydoras, and small loaches.
3. Are they good for planted aquariums?
Absolutely. Their gentle nature and slow swimming style make them ideal for aquascaped and planted tanks.
4. Do they dig up plants or disturb the substrate?
No. They are not known for digging or uprooting plants.
5. Are they beginner-friendly cichlids?
Yes. Tank-bred African Butterfly Cichlids are hardy, adaptable, and easy to care for with basic aquarium experience.
6. What size tank do they need?
A minimum of 20 gallons is recommended, with more space preferred for pairs or small groups.
7. Can they live with shrimp?
Adult shrimp may coexist in heavily planted tanks, but shrimp fry may be eaten. Dense plant cover improves survival.
8. What do African Butterfly Cichlids eat?
They accept high-quality flakes, micro pellets, frozen foods, and live foods, with a preference for protein-rich diets.
9. Are they easy to breed?
Yes. They form pairs naturally, spawn on flat surfaces, and show strong parental care for eggs and fry.
10. Are tank-bred specimens better than wild-caught?
Yes. Tank-bred fish are more adaptable, less stressed, and better suited for long-term success in home aquariums.
For the safety of our animals, we only ship live fish, crabs, and select other inverts exclusively via UPS 1 Day Air. If your order contains this item, you will only see UPS 1 Day Air as a shipping option during checkout. If other items are in your cart that can ship with 2 day or standard shipping options the only shipping method you can still select is UPS 1 Day Air.
UPS 1 Day is a description of the duration of time a shipment will spend in transit once it has been shipped. This does not guarantee the package will be shipped the same or next day from which the order was placed.
Shipping Schedule for this service
Current Handling Time:
1-9 business days
Here at Aquatic Arts, we consider the welfare of the live animals we are shipping to be of the foremost importance. This process is much more involved than simply creating a shipping label and affixing it to a box. Depending on the order, it takes from 4 to 7 people to complete this process properly. We check the weather conditions here where they fly out of the Indianapolis UPS facility and the destination for each shipment. We start early each morning and go through a multi-step process to have the day's shipments prepared in time for the UPS pickup. The volume of orders in our system also affects the processing time. Therefore our stated handling time is 1-9 business days.
Shipping Rate
Pricing is by size of package needed to fill entire order and distance it must travel. It will be calculated at checkout.
