TankBud

Spotted pyrrhulina

Pyrrhulina spilota

Also known as Blotched pyrrhulina, Four spot splash tetra

FreshwaterFish

Spotted pyrrhulina (Pyrrhulina spilota)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
73–81°F
23–27°C
pH
5.5–7.0
Adult size
2.8 in
7 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Top
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Substrate spawner · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Lebiasinidae
Origin
Ucayali basin, Peru

Overview

The spotted pyrrhulina is a lively characin for the top of a planted community tank. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

The spotted pyrrhulina belongs to the same family as the splash tetras, which are famous for laying eggs on leaves above the waterline. It keeps the leaf-spawning habit, but it lays below the surface.

Caring for the spotted pyrrhulina

Give spotted pyrrhulinas a planted tank of at least 20 gal (75 L), with open water at the top and floating cover. Add broad-leaved plants near the surface, a dark substrate and gentle filtration. They stay near the surface and can jump, so keep a tight lid on the tank.

Keep the water soft and mildly acidic, at 73 to 81°F (23 to 27°C) and a pH of 5.5 to 7.0. Feed floating and near-surface foods such as flake and small floating pellets. Add frozen or live foods such as bloodworm, daphnia and mosquito larvae.

A spotted pyrrhulina is fine alone, but a small group brings out its natural behavior. Keep more females than males, since males display and spar with each other over territory near the top of the tank.

It is mostly peaceful but an active, fairly large characin. Pair it with calm fish of the middle and lower tank rather than very tiny or very timid ones. Keepers often use it as a dither fish to coax shy dwarf cichlids into the open.

Males are more strongly marked than females. The female lays a clutch of eggs on a submerged leaf or broad plant. The male alone guards and fans the eggs until they hatch, and breeding is moderately difficult.

Good to know

Pyrrhulina spilota is a member of the family Lebiasinidae and a relative of the pencilfishes. It is a bronze, surface-oriented insectivore, blotched with wine-red.

In the wild

The spotted pyrrhulina comes from the upper Amazon in Peru, around the Ucayali and Maranon. It patrols the still surface of shaded backwaters, over soft and very acidic water.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The spotted pyrrhulina is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the top. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a spotted pyrrhulina need?

A spotted pyrrhulina needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the top.

What temperature and pH does a spotted pyrrhulina need?

A spotted pyrrhulina is comfortable at 73–81°F (23–27°C) with a pH of 5.5–7.0.

What does a spotted pyrrhulina eat?

A spotted pyrrhulina eats floating and near-surface foods, such as flake and small floating pellets. It also takes frozen or live bloodworm, daphnia and mosquito larvae.

How big does a spotted pyrrhulina get?

An adult spotted pyrrhulina reaches about 2.8 in (7 cm).

How can you tell a male spotted pyrrhulina from a female?

Males are more strongly marked than females.

How does a spotted pyrrhulina breed?

The spotted pyrrhulina spawns on a submerged leaf or broad plant, where the female lays a clutch of eggs. The male alone guards and fans the eggs until they hatch. Breeding it is moderately difficult.

Related species