Description
Also known as the Black Shark Minnow, this fish tends to inhabit larger river channels but also occurs in smaller tributaries, canals and inundated floodplains. Breeds on a seasonal basis in nature, at the onset of the wet season. It apparently spawns upstream of shallow sandbars where the eggs settle and hatch as the water begins to rise, with the fry moving into inundated riparian vegetation where they continue to follow the edge of the water as the flooding increases. Primarily a grazer, feeding on algae, small crustaceans, insect larvae, etc., and for it to develop its best colors and condition it should be offered regular meals of small live and frozen foods such as bloodworms and brine shrimp, along with good quality dried flakes, granules and fresh plant material.