Bluntnose ceratobranchia

Ceratobranchia obtusirostris

Also known as Obtusirostris tetra, Blunt nose tetra

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 5.5–7.0
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Andean foothill streams of Peru and Ecuador
Family: Characidae

Overview

The bluntnose ceratobranchia is an active, peaceful schooling fish that does best in a group of at least eight, kept in a roomy tank with steady current. It swims in open midwater and appreciates the flow and oxygen of a river-style setup. Keep it with other robust but gentle midwater fish that enjoy moving water, such as other tetras and small barbs, plus bottom fish like corydoras. It is a hearty feeder: offer quality flake, micro pellets, and regular frozen or live foods such as daphnia, bloodworm, and brine shrimp. A group needs around 75 liters or more with open swimming space.

In the wild

In the wild this fish lives in cooler, fast, well-oxygenated foothill streams on the eastern slope of the Andes in Peru and Ecuador, where clear water runs over sand and gravel. Recreate that with a temperature toward the lower tetra range, from 22 to 27 degrees Celsius, and pH 5.5 to 7.0. Provide brisk flow from the filter or a powerhead, a firm sand and rock bottom, some driftwood, and plenty of dissolved oxygen.

Good to know

Ceratobranchia obtusirostris was described by Eigenmann in 1914 and belongs to the characins, family Characidae, reaching about 6 centimeters. The species name means blunt-snouted, for its rounded face, and it is one of only about five small species in the genus, spread across the upper Amazon of Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Its breeding is not recorded in aquaria, and like related characins it is an egg scatterer.

Did you know

Its name means blunt-nosed, and it comes from clear, cool streams high on the Andean foothills, water that only recently left the mountains before joining the Amazon lowlands.

Tank mates

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