Blue Amur bitterling

Paracheilognathus himantegus

Also known as Taiwanese bitterling, Himantegus bitterling

FreshwaterFish

Blue Amur bitterling (Paracheilognathus himantegus) — (c) Tiouraren, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa

Care at a glance

Temperature: 57–79°F (14–26°C)
pH: 6.8–8.0
Adult size: 3.1 in (8 cm)
Minimum tank: 30 gal (112 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Taiwan and southern China
Family: Acheilognathidae

Overview

The blue Amur bitterling is a peaceful, coolwater schooling fish that colors up without a heater. Keep it in a group of six or more; it is a sociable shoaler, and males show their best blue and rose tones when several are kept together. It swims in the middle of the tank and mixes well with other calm, temperate fish. It is an omnivore, so feed a mix of small frozen foods, flake, and some vegetable matter or algae. It appreciates a planted tank and a cooler winter rest. A group is comfortable in a tank of around 112 liters or more.

In the wild

The blue Amur bitterling lives in slow, weedy lowland streams and ponds of Taiwan and southern China, among plants and over soft beds. Recreate that with dense planting, a soft substrate, and gentle flow in an unheated or coolwater tank. It tolerates a wide temperature span, from about 14 to 26 C, with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH between 6.8 and 8.0. A seasonal cool period suits this temperate fish.

Good to know

Paracheilognathus himantegus is a bitterling in the family Acheilognathidae and reaches about 8 centimeters. Like all bitterlings it breeds by placing its eggs inside a living freshwater mussel: the female uses a long ovipositor to deposit them in the mussel's gill chamber, where they develop in safety. Breeding in aquaria is hard, mostly because it depends on healthy mussels. Males flush with color in the spawning season.

Did you know

The bitterling and the mussel trade favors. The fish shelters its eggs inside the living mussel, and in return the mussel's larvae, called glochidia, hitch a ride on the bitterling's gills and fins for weeks before dropping off to start life on their own.

Tank mates

Blue Amur bitterling is a peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.