''Polycentrus schomburgkii'', also known as the Guyana leaffish is a species of fish belonging to the family

Polycentridae Leaffishes are small fishes of the family Polycentridae. According to FishBase, it only includes the genera '' Monocirrhus'' and '' Polycentrus'' from fresh and brackish water in tropical South America. Although included in the Asian leaffish fam ...

. It inhabits fresh and

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

waters, both clear and turbid, of the northeastern part of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

and

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

. It reaches a maximum length of .

Description

The females are a deep brown, but the males are velvety-black with turquoise or silver spots and flecks. It uses its coloration to blend in with its surroundings.

In the aquarium

''Polycentrus schomburgkii'' is sometimes kept as an aquarium fish, where its small size allows for tanks as small as ten gallons in size. Like other South American leaffishes (and numerous other leaf-like fishes, for that matter) it is an ambush predator that floats motionless among plants until a smaller fish swims close enough for it to swallow. Because of its predator nature, its tank mates should be large enough to avoid being eaten; however, they also should not be vigorous enough to outcompete the leaf fish for food. These fish are known to be difficult aquarium inhabitants, requiring live foods such as small fish, bloodworms, and brine shrimp; they seldom adapt to a more prepared diet; further, they need soft, acidic, very clean water. Spawning in the aquarium is known to be challenging. These fish spawn in a cave, often in a leaf, and the male guards them for 3 to 4 days before they become free swimming. The fry are well known for being very cannibalistic when poorly fed and are even more sensitive to sub par water quality than the parents.Guyana Leaffish - ''Polycentrus schomburgkii''
" Guyana Leaffish - ''Polycentrus schomburgkii''. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2013.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q582222 Polycentridae Fish described in 1849