Spotted splash tetra

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep a group in a well planted, gently filtered tank with floating plants and, ideally, tannin stained water. It is peaceful and spends its time near the surface, so give it a tight lid, since it can jump. It mixes well with other small, calm blackwater fish.

In the wild

Lives in soft, acidic blackwater streams and flooded forest of the Rio Negro region. It stays near the surface among floating plants, roots, and overhanging cover. The water is warm, dark with tannins, and very soft.

Good to know

Copella nattereri is a slender, surface oriented characin of around 5 cm, its body scattered with small dark and reddish spots. It belongs to the family Lebiasinidae, the same group as the pencilfishes. Some populations show a soft blue and red sheen.

Did you know

It is a close relative of the famous splash tetra, a group known for laying eggs on leaves above the waterline and splashing them to keep them wet.

Related species

• 

  Splash tetra

  Copella arnoldi

  2.2 in (5.5 cm)18 gal (70 L)68–82°F (20–28°C)
• Fanning characin

  Pyrrhulina rachoviana

  2 in (5 cm)16 gal (60 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

• 

  Harrison's pencilfish

  Nannostomus harrisoni

  2.2 in (5.5 cm)16 gal (60 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Golden pencilfish

  Nannostomus beckfordi

  2.4 in (6 cm)18 gal (70 L)70–81°F (21–27°C)
• One-lined Pencilfish

  Nannostomus unifasciatus

  1.6 in (4 cm)17 gal (65 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Hockeystick pencilfish

  Nannostomus eques

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)15 gal (55 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)