1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Active and nippy, with males harassing fin-bearing tankmates; keep with fast fish and in groups with more females.
266 species in our list are a good match.
Active and nippy, with males harassing fin-bearing tankmates; keep with fast fish and in groups with more females.
Algae, spirulina and flakes with frozen foods; vegetable matter is essential.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males are smaller and more colourful, with reflective flank scales, a bigger dorsal fin, a broad yellow-orange and black band at the tail edge, and a notched anal fin (andropodium). Females are larger with a clear tail bearing a few short black lines.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Livebearer · Moderate
Easily bred livebearer, as a pair or a group in a heavily planted species tank. Females do not store sperm and must mate for each brood; the young are fed in the womb via trophotaeniae, are born large and eat adult foods at once. Parents rarely eat fry.
One male with 4-5 females.
Roomy planted tank with hard alkaline water, plus a spare tank for fry.
Cool-ish clean water and good feeding.
5-30 large fry (up to about 2 cm) per brood after 55-60 days.
Newborns are big; feed baby brine shrimp and crushed flake.
A goodeid from springs of the upper Río Ameca, Jalisco, Mexico, now Critically Endangered and surviving at only a few wild sites, but widely bred in aquaria. Males show a yellow-and-black banded tail.
Robert Rush Miller and Michael Fitzsimons described this goodeid in 1971. Its wild home has suffered badly, and aquarists have played a role in keeping captive populations going.
First described by Robert R. Miller & J. Michael Fitzsimons in 1971. Named for Named after the Río Ameca.
14 facts checked with sources
Valid; monotypic genus.
FishBase: Ameca splendens summary · Seriously Fish: Ameca splendensLegacy has no family field.
FishBase: Ameca splendens summarySeriously Fish 9.0 cm SL (roughly 11 cm TL); FishBase 12 cm TL for females, 8 cm TL for males. Larger well-sourced figure used (TL). Legacy 10 cm is a little low for females. The type series ran to 90 mm SL (GWG).
Seriously Fish: Ameca splendens · FishBase: Ameca splendens summarySeriously Fish 20-25 preferred for husbandry. FishBase 26-32 and GWG (wild springs 26-28 °C) describe the habitat; GWG nonetheless advises against constant temperatures above 25 °C and a winter rest below 20 °C. Legacy 18-26 is wider at both ends.
Seriously Fish: Ameca splendens · FishBase: Ameca splendens summary · Goodeid Working Group: Ameca splendensSeriously Fish 7.0-8.0 (needs a steady pH); legacy 7-8.5.
Seriously Fish: Ameca splendens · FishBase: Ameca splendens summaryLegacy has no hardness; Seriously Fish range recorded.
Seriously Fish: Ameca splendens · FishBase: Ameca splendens summarySeriously Fish: 90 x 30 cm base x 30 cm = 81 L. The Goodeid Working Group recommends at least 250 L for a colony. Legacy 150 L sits between.
Seriously Fish: Ameca splendens · Goodeid Working Group: Ameca splendensLegacy 's'. Seriously Fish: can live with similar-sized robust species but better in a species set-up.
Seriously Fish: Ameca splendensLegacy 2 = moderate. Seriously Fish: messy and sensitive to deteriorating water quality, so filtration matters.
Seriously Fish: Ameca splendensLegacy has no range field. The GWG 2019 survey found the Sayula springs dry (the quoted sentence refers to the El Molino pond). IUCN: Critically Endangered (assessed 18 April 2018, per FishBase v2025-2 and GWG). It was earlier listed as Extinct in the Wild; Seriously Fish calls that listing incorrect because wild fish survive at a few localities.
Seriously Fish: Ameca splendens · Goodeid Working Group: Ameca splendens · FishBase: Ameca splendens summaryMatches legacy.
Seriously Fish: Ameca splendensLegacy 10-30 fry with 55-60 day gestation; Seriously Fish lower bound is 5.
Seriously Fish: Ameca splendensLegacy says 'critically endangered or extinct in the wild'; current IUCN status is Critically Endangered (2018), not EW. Legacy 'big pale butterfly-wing fins' is not supported: the distinctive feature is the male's yellow/black tail band. Legacy 'Rio Ameca' is right (Teuchitlán springs, upper Ameca basin).
Seriously Fish: Ameca splendens · Goodeid Working Group: Ameca splendens