Africa is covered in vast savannas and rainforests, but don’t forget the fast rushing streams, sluggish deltas and river basins, rapid rivers, and stagnant lakes. Each of these regions are home to their own ecosystems and amazing wildlife; keeping an aquarium gives us an opportunity to recreate these natural biomes thousands of miles away from their native locations.
This is the beauty of a biotope aquarium, it conveys a community of fish and plants that naturally occur in the same region in the wild. This can be as specific as recreating a specific river or lake, or as broad as bringing together the wildlife of a whole continent.
From the Zambezi to the Congo, Africa’s fresh waters abound in colorful and unique species, many of which are regularly available from commercial breeders. Let’s take a quick look at some of these…
Map of African Rivers
West African Biotope
West and Central Africa are full of rivers. West Africa is commonly overlooked by the diverse cichlids of East Africa and the Rift Lakes, but it contains some of the most beautiful aquarium fish and plants in the trade.
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1. African Butterfly Fish
The African Butterfly Fish are named after their unique pelvic fins that make the fish look like a butterfly from above. These highly specialized predators remain mostly still on the top of the aquarium or, in the wild, towards the top of the Congo Basin where they hunt small fish and insects. They remain still so as to not scare away potential prey.
In the home aquarium the African Butterfly gets up to five inches and will accept frozen brine, bloodworms and occasionally flakes.
African Butterfly Fish
2. Kribensis
Kribensis are a species of dwarf cichlids known for their hardiness and simplicity to breed. In the wild, Kribensis are found in the shallow and densely vegetated deltas of Cameroon and the Niger Delta and Niger River.
Kribensis have adapted to a wide range of hardness and pH traveling between the hard and alkaline Niger Delta and softer waters of the Niger River, making them very hardy fish for the home aquaria. Along with being hardy, Kribensis are easy to sex and eager to breed. The females have a bright pink stomachs, especially when they’re ready to breed, and the males have pointed dorsal and anal fins.
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3. African Knifefish
African Knifefish are a species of knifefish found in many river basins and deltas all across West Africa, including the Congo Basin, Chad River Basin, Niger Delta, Ogooue River Basin and more. In general, African Knife Fish are found in the hard and alkaline but stagnant waters of West Africa.
In the wild, the carnivorous African Knife uses its electrical fields to hunt down prey at night; in aquariums the African Knife will accept fresh brine or daphnia and frozen bloodworms. African Knives will eat smaller fish that fit in their mouths, so even though they only reach eight inches in captivity, be sure to only mix them with fish that are too large to be swallowed.
Adam's African biotope
4. Congo Tetras
The Congo Basin is home to many kinds of Congo Tetras, most notably the Rainbow Congo Tetra. The Rainbow Congo Tetras are named after the bright rainbow color stripe they display.
All Congo Tetras are brightly colored schooling fish, they form tight, active and brightly colored schools that dart back and forth across the Congo Basin or the home aquarium. In the wild, Congo Tetras are omnivorous and enjoy insects, plant matter, worms, algae and more, but in the home aquarium they readily accept flakes and pellets.
Congo Tetra
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5. Synodontis Catfish
Synodontis is a genus of catfish endemic to Africa. They are also known as Squeakers or Upside Down Cats, named after their peculiar habit of swimming upside-down to feed off of floating or submerged logs.
These catfish can be found all across West Africa, in the Senegal River, the Niger Delta, the Congo Basin, Lower Congo River and more. Each species has a distinct pattern, Synodontis eupterus is gray with intricate stripes and spots, Synodontis angelicus is black with bright white or yellow spots, and Synodontis brichardi has bright black and white stripes.
There are hundreds of species of Synodontis, and they are all endemic to Africa. They are generally omnivorous and accept flakes, sinking pellets and bloodworms, but the maximum size varies from species to species. Overall, most species aren’t aggressive except with other Synodontis species and occasionally other catfish.
6. Leopard Ctenapoma
Leopard Ctenapoma, or Bushfish inhabit the Congo Basin and slow moving rivers and streams throughout the Central African Republic. They are ambush predators, hiding in the vegetation until they can attack their prey.
In the aquarium, Leopard Ctenopomas will accept pellets, flakes, bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp and the occasional ghost shrimp! The leopard patterning on these fish is actually expert camouflage and keeps them hidden from prey and bigger predators, while also making them beautiful aquarium fish.
African Plants for Aquariums
Here are some plants that can be used in an African biotope aquarium:
- Anubias are low light plants and are widespread throughout the aquarium trade.
- Aponogetons are bulb plants that have huge beautiful leaves. All Aponogetons go through a dormant period once a year where they lose their leaves, but they will soon regrow their leaves even better than before.
- Crinum calamistratum is a hardy bulb plant from West Africa, with tightly crinkled leaves extending from the bulb.
- Golden Nesea is an easy way to add color to a planted tank, it has bright red stems and golden leaves. As a stem plant, trimmings of Golden Nesea can be re-planted to form a new plant.
- Water Lettuce is a beautiful floating plants that is amazing at keeping aquariums clean, they have long intricate roots underwater and soft overlapping above the water.
Other Notable African Fish
Unfortunately, aside from the rift lake cichlids, much of the region’s fish fauna continues to remain unavailable to aquarists. Africa has historically had fairly limited collection for the aquarium trade, especially when compared to areas like South and Central America or Southeast Asia. But this likely has more to do with the logistical challenges of working on the continent rather than from any lack of desirable fishes.
Bichirs
Polypterus is an ancient group in the evolutionary history of fishes-survivors in every sense of the word. They represent one of the earliest lineages of bony fish to diverge, and so they still retain many of the morphological traits considered to be “primitive” among fishes.
Rather than the delicate, hinged jaws seen in more “advanced” fishes (like cichlids), the head of a bichir is built like a tank. You’ll only find this group (along with the related Rope Fish) in the swamps of Africa, where their sluggish lifestyle is perfectly suited to their surroundings.
Around a dozen or so species are known, differing from one another in terms of their size and coloration and where they occur. The Ornate Bichir (P. ornatipinnis) is one of the more elaborately patterned species in the genus, and also the one most frequently available to aquarists. It occurs across much of Central Africa, from the Congo east to Lake Tanganyika.
The beautiful Barred or Delhez’s Bichir (P. delhezi) is an entirely different looking fish that grows to just a fraction of the size of its larger cousin, and it too occurs in the Congo River basin.
Freshwater Butterflyfish
Pantodon buchholzi is one of the most idiosyncratic fishes on the planet. As with the bichirs, it too lurks in the swamplands of Africa, primarily West Africa’s Congo and Niger River systems and upwards towards Lake Chad.
As one might deduce from this creature’s large, upturned mouth, Pantodon is a specialized carnivore that feeds heavily upon any insect that falls onto the water’s surface. Don’t be deceived, the graceful motions of this aquatic butterfly hide a sinister personality which has enabled it to survive for millions of years.
Distichodus
The Six-banded Distichodus (D. sexfasciatus) is a classic aquarium fish. It’s colorful, tiger-striped juveniles are likely to be found in just about any well-stocked store, but, with this fish capable of reaching a foot in length, this is one species that needs to be researched thoroughly before purchasing.
Aside from its size, it also has a bit of a mean streak and a notable habit of eating live plants… so it’s not for everyone. But for those able to accommodate it, there is nothing quite like this orange and black beauty from Central Africa.
Cuckoo Catfish
The Cuckoo Catfish is one of the most beautiful members of the diverse African genus Synodontis. Some 130-plus species are known to exist, making it one of the most singularly successful lineages on the continent, with examples found in just about every major body of water.
Most swim right-side up, but the famous Upside-down Catfish (S. nigriventris) spends most of its day scrounging for scraps on the underside of leaves by swimming in an unorthodox upside-down manner. And then there’s S. multipunctatus, the Cuckoo, which lives a seemingly normal catfish life in Lake Tanganyika.
Rather than laying its eggs along the substrate, like others in the genus do, this piscine cuckoo times it’s spawning to co-occur with the mouth-brooding cichlids that share its habitats. Amazingly, they are able to deposit their eggs into the open mouths of their unwitting cichlid host right when they’re moving to scoop up their own eggs.
Kribensis Cichlid
Named for the Kribi River of Cameroon, this beautiful fish is one of the few cichlids collected outside of Africa’s rift lakes to have gained any popularity in the aquarium trade, but it’s not hard to see why this little fish has such a following.
Mature males develop an intense red along the belly (particularly specimens originating from Nigeria), complementing the already eye-catching mix of stripes and spots that adorn the body.
Overall, West Africa is an extremely biodiverse region with highly specialized predators, fast moving schools, colorful dwarf cichlids, and a biotope would be an amazing way to connect with the beautiful and biodiverse habitats of West Africa.
Table 1: Overview of Select African Aquarium Fish Species
| Species | Origin | Size | Diet | Temperament |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Butterfly Fish | Congo Basin | Up to 5 inches | Carnivorous (insects, small fish) | Predatory |
| Kribensis | Cameroon, Niger Delta | Up to 4 inches | Omnivorous | Relatively peaceful |
| Congo Tetra | Congo Basin | Up to 3 inches | Omnivorous | Peaceful, schooling |
| Synodontis Catfish | Various regions of Africa | Varies by species | Omnivorous | Generally peaceful |
| Leopard Ctenopoma | Congo Basin | Up to 6 inches | Carnivorous | Predatory |
