TankBud

Butterfly goodeid

Ameca splendens

Also known as Butterfly splitfin, Ameca goodeid

FreshwaterFish

Butterfly goodeid (Ameca splendens)
Marie France Janelle · CC BY-SA 2.5

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–82°F
20–28°C
pH
7.0–8.0
Adult size
4.7 in
12 cm
Minimum tank
24 gal
90 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Livebearer · Easy
Rarity
Rare
Family
Goodeidae
Origin
Endemic to the Rio Ameca and Rio Teuchitlan basins in Jalisco and Nayarit, Mexico, in warm, hard springs and slow pools.

Overview

The butterfly goodeid is an active, mostly peaceful livebearer for a planted group tank with hard water. It is easy to keep.

Did you know

The butterfly goodeid's wild population in the Rio Teuchitlan collapsed. For years it survived mainly in hobbyist tanks, before conservation attention turned to saving it.

Caring for the butterfly goodeid

Keep a group of six or more butterfly goodeids in 24 gal (90 L) or larger, in a tank at least 90 cm long. Plant it well, but leave open swimming space and add a few flat stones.

Give them hard, alkaline water at 68 to 82°F (20 to 28°C) and a pH of 7.0 to 8.0, with a gentle current. Feed a mostly vegetable diet of spirulina flake, blanched greens and algae, with some frozen daphnia or brine shrimp. They graze algae off rocks and plants, so a mature tank with some green film suits them.

Butterfly goodeids are active and nip long fins. Avoid slow, long-finned tank mates, and choose robust, fast companions or a species tank.

Females are bigger than males. Instead of the rod-like gonopodium of guppies, males use a notched front section of the anal fin, called an andropodium. Bright light brings out the blue-green sheen and yellow-edged tail of a dominant male.

The butterfly goodeid is a livebearer and easy to breed. A female gives birth to a small brood every couple of months, usually 10 to 30 large fry.

Good to know

The butterfly goodeid, Ameca splendens, belongs to the Goodeidae, a family of Mexican livebearers. Its females nourish their developing young through a placenta-like structure called a trophotaenia, rather than a simple yolk sac. The species is nearly gone in the wild, so aquarium stocks matter.

In the wild

The butterfly goodeid is endemic to the Rio Ameca and Rio Teuchitlan basins in Jalisco and Nayarit, Mexico. It lives in warm, hard springs and slow pools.

Common questions

What size tank does a butterfly goodeid need?

A butterfly goodeid needs at least 24 gal (90 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a butterfly goodeid need?

A butterfly goodeid is comfortable at 68–82°F (20–28°C) with a pH of 7.0–8.0.

What does a butterfly goodeid eat?

A butterfly goodeid eats a mostly vegetable diet of spirulina flake, blanched greens and algae. Add some frozen daphnia or brine shrimp, and let it graze the green film in a mature tank.

How big does a butterfly goodeid get?

An adult butterfly goodeid reaches about 4.7 in (12 cm).

How can you tell a male butterfly goodeid from a female?

Females are bigger than males. Males have a notched front section on the anal fin, the andropodium, and a dominant male shows a blue-green sheen and a yellow-edged tail.

How does a butterfly goodeid breed?

Butterfly goodeids are livebearers and easy to breed. Every couple of months, a female gives birth to a small brood of usually 10 to 30 large fry.

Related species