Elegant darter characin

Ammocryptocharax elegans

Also known as Green darter characin, Green darter tetra

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 5.0–6.8
Adult size: 1.6 in (4 cm)
Minimum tank: 14 gal (54 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Orinoco and Negro basins
Family: Crenuchidae

Overview

This is a tiny, peaceful darter-like characin that lives on the bottom and among plants, so keep a small group of six or more in a quiet, well-planted tank. Rather than swimming freely it perches on leaves and roots and hops from spot to spot, picking small foods off surfaces. It is gentle and easily overlooked, so give it calm, small tankmates and fine-leaved plants to cling to. Feed small sinking and frozen foods it can manage: micro pellets, crushed flake, baby brine shrimp, cyclops, and small frozen bloodworm. A planted tank of around 54 litres with gentle flow suits a group.

In the wild

It lives in the Orinoco and Rio Negro basins, clinging to submerged grasses, roots, and leaf litter in soft, acidic, often tannin-stained water with gentle flow. Recreate that with soft water, a temperature of 23 to 27 degrees Celsius, and an acidic pH of 5.0 to 6.8, using fine-leaved plants, driftwood, leaf litter, and a sandy bed it can rest on.

Good to know

It belongs to the family Crenuchidae, the South American darters, and reaches only about 4 cm. Instead of swimming in open water it uses curved pectoral and pelvic fins to grip plants and hold position, hovering in the current shadow behind obstacles. Its spawning in aquaria has not been documented.

Did you know

It can change colour to match its perch. Resting on a green leaf, this little characin turns bright green itself, a chameleon-like trick that helps it disappear among the plants it clings to.

Tank mates

Elegant darter characin is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.