Butterfly xenotilapia
Xenotilapia papilio
advancedpeacefulbottom swimmerCichlidae
- Adult size
- 7 cm3 in
- Start with
- 1
- Tank length
- 26 cm10 in
- Lifespan
- 6–10 yrs
- Temperature
- 24–27 °C75–81 °F
- pH
- 7.6–8.6
- Hardness
- 5–20 dGH
- Diet
- carnivore
Unusual rock-dwelling xenotilapia that forms pairs; give a mix of sand and rockwork and peaceful Tanganyikan neighbours.Unusual rock-dwelling xenotilapia that forms pairs; give a mix of sand and rockwork and peaceful Tanganyikan neighbours.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
Avoid with
- Banded gourami
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Bandit cory
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Black kuhli loach
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
Black neon tetraNo shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Black phantom tetra
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Blackline rasbora
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Bleeding heart tetra
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Blind cave tetra
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Bloodfin tetra
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Blue acara
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Blue emperor tetra
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Blue lyretail
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
Sources
| temperature | 24–27 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
|---|---|---|
| ph | 7.6–8.6 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
| gh | 5–20 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · low |
| origin | Rocky habitats of southern Lake Tanganyika | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| notes | Unusual rock-dwelling xenotilapia that forms pairs; give a mix of sand and rockw | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| beginner friendly | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| care level | advanced | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| color palette | #D8C8A0, #E8D040 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| activity | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| swim zone | bottom | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| temperament | peaceful | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| fin nipper | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| long finned | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| territorial | true | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| schooling | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| schooling min | 1 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| diet | carnivore | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| lifespan years | 6–10 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| growth to adult months | 12 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| length weight | {"a":0.014,"b":3} | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| planted safe | true | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| body shape | cichlid | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |