Spot-tail curimata

Curimatopsis evelynae

Also known as Evelyn's curimata

FreshwaterFish

Spot-tail curimata (Curimatopsis evelynae) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 4.5–6.5
Adult size: 1.6 in (4 cm)
Minimum tank: 14 gal (54 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Shoaling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Upper Rio Negro and Orinoco blackwaters
Family: Curimatidae

Overview

The spot-tail curimata is a tiny, peaceful blackwater fish that lives in shoals, so keep a group of at least six to see it at ease. It drifts through the middle and lower water and over the bottom, grazing biofilm and fine detritus, and it acts as a gentle, tireless cleaner of surfaces in a small soft-water tank of around 54 liters. It is harmless to everything and suits a nano community of other small, calm fish that share its taste for soft, acidic water. Being a grazer it feeds on the film in the tank, but it also accepts small sinking foods, crushed flake, and fine frozen items, so it is easy to keep fed.

In the wild

This little fish lives in the blackwater creeks of the upper Rio Negro and Orinoco, soft, acidic water the color of dark tea, running through leaf litter and shaded forest margins. Recreate that with warm water from about 23 to 28 C and a distinctly acidic pH between roughly 4.5 and 6.5, kept soft and low in minerals. A layer of dried leaves over sand, plus driftwood and dim light, reproduces its home and stains the water naturally with tannins. Steady, gentle filtration and clean water keep this small, sensitive grazer thriving.

Good to know

Curimatopsis evelynae, the spottail curimata, is a member of the toothless characin family Curimatidae and stays under about 4 centimeters, making it one of the smallest of the group. It has a plain body with a single dark spot at the base of the tail, from which it takes its name. Like all curimatids it is a toothless detritus feeder. It was described by the ichthyologist Jacques Gery in 1964, and there is no record of it breeding in aquaria.

Did you know

The species was named in 1964 for Evelyn Axelrod, wife of the aquarium publisher Herbert Axelrod, whose magazine printed the description; the little fish spends its life quietly sifting leaf litter in the blackwater creeks of the Amazon.