''Microctenopoma fasciolatum'' or the banded bushfish is an

Anabantoid The Anabantoidei are a suborder of anabantiform ray-finned freshwater fish distinguished by their possession of a lung-like labyrinth organ, which enables them to breathe air. The fish in the Anabantoidei suborder are known as anabantoids or la ...

fish of the genus ''

Microctenopoma ''Microctenopoma'' is a genus of fish in the Anabantidae (climbing gourami) family. They are native to Africa. ''Microctenopoma'' has been included in '' Ctenopoma'' in the past; unlike that genus, they are bubblenest builders, and the males def ...

''. It is native to the

Republic of Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...

, the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

and a few rivers in

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

, occurring in the lower and central parts of the

Congo River The Congo River, formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the third-largest river in the world list of rivers by discharge, by discharge volume, following the Amazon Ri ...

. This species has numerous irregular dark stripes running vertically across its body, with a horizontal lighter stripe separating them. The banding becomes more pronounced as the fish ages. In males, the dorsal and annal fins are more pointed, and - in some populations - have bright iridescent blue spots. This species, like many related anabantoids lays its approximately 1000 eggs into a

bubble nest Bubble nests, also called foam nests, are created by some fish and frog species as floating masses of bubbles blown with an oral secretion, saliva bubbles, and occasionally aquatic plants. Fish that build and guard bubble nests are known as aph ...

. This fish grows to a size of 9 cm (3.5 in).

In the aquarium

This anabantoid rarely appears in the aquarium hobby; when it does it is noted for being somewhat shy and retiring, but not particularly challenging to keep. Males can be territorial, especially in small aquaria. It prefers a pH of 6.5 - 7.5 and a temperature of , along with a water hardness of 50 mgl.

References

* Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish (2005) (

David Alderton David Alderton is an English writer specialising in pets and natural history topics. Growing up in a home surrounded by pets, he originally trained to become a veterinary surgeon. An allergic dermatitis acquired in his final year of study forced ...

) * http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Microctenopoma-fasciolatum.html (Fishbase) *https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/microctenopoma-fasciolatum/ Freshwater fish of Africa Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger Fish described in 1899 fasciolatum {{Anabantiformes-stub