Leopard Fish

Leopard Fish

Coldwater livebearer

Common name: Leopardfish

Scientific name: Phalloceros caudimaculatus.

Synonyms: Girardinus caudimaculatus.

 

Size: Males reach a little over 3cm/1.2”. females typically to 6cm/2.4” but have been known closer to 7.5cm/3”.

 

Distribution: Native to South America, from Brazil to Uruguay and Argentina. It has also been introduced in an attempt to control numbers of mosquitos in Australia and Ethiopia where it now proliferates.

 

Diet: Like many small livebearers, this is an aufwuchs and algae grazer when not chasing small insects or crustacea from the bottom of its environment. In the aquarium it can turn to plants, damaging softer leaves.

 

It will happily accept most offered foods, although use plant-heavy dried foods to maintain colours and vigour.

 

Water: Incredibly tolerant of many parameters, this fish seems unfazed at pH values between 7.0 and 8.0, although in their native range 7.4 to 7.6 is the norm. Hardness values anywhere between 8 and 20° are accepted. Some keepers report increased success when using very low levels of salt.

 

Temperature: Coldwater fish

 

Habitat: Their natural range consists of slow, lagging rivers and streams, as well as ponds densely packed with weeds. They are even found in similar habitats in estuarine regions and have some degree of brackish tolerance.

 

Aquarium: Your aquarium should be heavily planted and have a fine gravel or sand substrate. Surface cover is preferred, with duckweed floating at the top of the tank.

 

Breeding: This is easily achieved as the fish is a livebearer. Males can be sexed through the presence of the gonopodium and by their smaller, leaner size.

 

first photo from the web rest are from their tank instore