Ichthyborus monodi
Ichthyborus monodi
Ichthyborus monodi features a sleek body with a bright yellow-green hue, complemented by distinctive black spots along its flanks.
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About the Ichthyborus monodi
A long-nosed African characin from lowland rivers in Nigeria, Benin, and Cameroon. It reaches about 8-9 inches and is an active, streamlined predator that will take small fish and even nip fins, so it needs sturdy, fast tankmates and lots of open swimming space. Super cool fish if you like oddball characins, but it is not a community tetra.
Quick Facts
Size
23 cm TL
Temperament
Aggressive
Difficulty
Advanced
Min Tank Size
55 gallons
Lifespan
6-10 years
Origin
West Africa
Diet
Carnivore - fish, fins, and invertebrates; accepts meaty frozen foods
Water Parameters
24-27°C
6-7.5
2-12 dGH
Need a heater for this species?
This species needs 24-27°C in a 55 gallon tank. Use our heater calculator to find the right wattage.
Calculate heater sizeCare Notes
- Think big river tank: 6 ft minimum for a solo, 8 ft+ for a group, tight-fitting lid with no gaps, fast flow, and lots of open swimming space.
- Shoot for soft to medium water, pH 6.2-7.2, 25-27 C, and keep nitrate under 20 ppm; do chunky weekly water changes (40-60%).
- They are skittish shoalers; either keep one alone or a group of 6+ in a very large tank, but skip pairs and trios because they bicker.
- Tankmates should be fast, robust, and too big to swallow; think larger Congo tetras, Brycinus, or tough Synodontis, and avoid small fish, slow fancy fins, and bruiser cichlids.
- Feed meaty foods like tilapia or smelt strips (rinsed), prawns, mussels, earthworms, and high-quality carnivore sticks; tong-feed and skip feeder fish to avoid parasites.
- They launch like missiles when spooked, so use a tight lid with weights and add floating plants or branches to calm them and cut reflections.
- Most arrive wild-caught with worms, so quarantine for 4 weeks and run praziquantel/levamisole; watch for sunken belly and white stringy poop.
- Breeding at home is basically unheard of; they are open-water egg scatterers tied to stormy season triggers, so do not plan on fry.
Compatibility
Good Tankmates
- Fast, similarly sized African characins like Brycinus and Alestes that school tight and can dodge nips
- Large, speedy barbs (tinfoil, clown, spanner) in a roomy tank with good flow
- Tough, armored Synodontis catfish that stick to the bottom and use their spines to deter bother
- Big, pushy Distichodus and other boisterous veggie-grazing characins that wont fold under harassment
- Hardy, semi-aggressive, streamlined cichlids like jewel cichlids (not long-finned types), with plenty of sight breaks
Avoid
- Small community fish or anything bite-sized like neons, guppies, or tiny rasboras
- Slow fish with fancy or flowing fins like angelfish, bettas, and long-fin gouramis
- Docile bottom dwellers without armor, such as Corydoras and kuhli loaches
- Slower, elongate fish that invite nips, like ropefish and bichirs
Where they come from
Ichthyborus monodi is a West African characiform, showing up from big, sandy rivers with steady current and tons of oxygen. Think Ivory Coast and nearby drainages. They cruise midwater in open stretches, darting around in the flow, not hiding in weedy margins like a lot of community fish.
Most specimens are wild-caught. Expect some road wear when they arrive and plan on a slow, careful acclimation and a few weeks of quarantine.
Setting up their tank
They are fast, skittish, and jumpy. Give them room and high oxygen, and you will have far fewer problems.
- Tank size: for a small group, 75-120 gallons (280-450 L). Length matters more than height. They like to sprint.
- Temp: 24-27 C (75-81 F)
- pH: 6.2-7.4
- Hardness: 2-12 dGH (soft to mid-hard), KH on the low-moderate side
- Flow: moderate to strong with lots of surface agitation
Use a canister or big HOB plus a powerhead to keep things moving. Aim return nozzles to ripple the surface. They appreciate clear, clean water and get sulky in low oxygen.
Substrate can be sand or fine gravel. I keep decor sparse: a few rounded stones, driftwood branches, and open lanes for swimming. Plants are optional; tough species like Anubias or bolbitis tied to wood are fine, but they are not plant-focused fish.
Tight lid, always. They jump hard and fast. Cover every gap, including around cables.
Lighting on the dimmer side calms them down. Black background helps them feel less exposed. If they panic at first, add a few floating plants (real or fake) to break up the light.
Give them time. First two weeks, keep traffic around the tank low and avoid tapping the glass. Regular small water changes (20-30% twice weekly) are better than big swings.
What to feed them
I. monodi leans carnivorous and appreciates moving, meaty foods. Getting them onto prepared food can take patience.
- Starter foods: frozen mysis, krill, chopped prawn, bloodworms, blackworms, and live insect larvae if you can source clean cultures
- Transition foods: high-protein sinking sticks or carnivore pellets soaked until soft, mixed with frozen food
- Occasional: pieces of white fish or clam
Skip feeder fish. Disease risk is huge, and the nutrition is poor.
Feed small amounts 2-3 times a day while they settle in, then drop to 1-2 once they are eating well. They hunt midwater, so keep food moving in the current to trigger strikes. If they spit pellets, keep soaking them and try again next feeding. It can take a week.
How they behave and who they get along with
They are quick midwater cruisers with a bit of attitude, especially around food. Mine were nippy with slow or long-finned tankmates. In a roomy tank, they mostly bicker among themselves and then settle down.
You can keep them as a single specimen or in a group. A proper group (5-8) spreads any pushiness, but you need the space. In cramped quarters, they get jumpy and mouthy.
- Good tankmates: robust West/Central African characins (Alestes, Brycinus), larger Congo tetras, sturdy barbs, mid-sized Synodontis catfish.
- Use caution: slow cichlids, mormyrids, and polypterus can have fins nipped. Fast, equally sized cichlids can work if the tank is big and everyone gets fed well.
- Avoid: small tetras/rasboras, shrimp, fancy long-finned fish. They become targets or snacks.
Feed the whole tank at once with food in the flow so the fast fish do not hog everything. Two feeding spots help spread the rush.
Breeding tips
I have not seen a confirmed home spawning of I. monodi, and mine never paired. They are likely open-water egg scatterers that go off during rainy-season cues.
- Separate conditioning: heavy live/frozen foods, slightly warmer water.
- Spawning attempt: very large dim tank, softer water, strong flow, and a false bottom or marbles to catch eggs.
- Trigger: series of cooler, soft water changes and a slight drop in conductivity.
- If eggs appear, pull adults immediately. Fry would start on rotifers/infusoria, then baby brine.
Sexing is unclear. Expect this to be a long-term project with no guarantees. Most hobby fish are wild-caught.
Common problems to watch for
- Jumping and head injuries: startled fish slam lids and braces. Keep the lid tight and the lighting calm.
- Refusing dry food: be patient and mix soaked pellets with frozen. Consistency wins.
- Nipping: long fins on tankmates are a magnet. Choose companions wisely.
- Shipping stress and parasites: quarantine 4-6 weeks. I deworm new arrivals (levamisole or fenbendazole) and treat flukes with praziquantel if scraping/flashing shows up.
- Low oxygen: they sulk and gulp in stuffy tanks. Crank surface agitation and keep filters clean.
- Water quality swings: they hate ammonia and nitrite. Keep nitrates under ~20 ppm with regular changes.
If they pace and dash at glass, add a dark background, reduce room reflections, and give them a week. It usually settles once they map the space.
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