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Fast and nervous; will eat small fish; needs a lid.
300 species in our list are a good match.
Fast and nervous; will eat small fish; needs a lid.
Insects, frozen foods and pellets.
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Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Egg-scatterer (rarely bred) ·
Has been bred in aquaria, though details are scarce: it needs a very large tank and scatters eggs among vegetation.
Needs a large group in mature, stable conditions; pairing is hard to control.
Roomy, planted tank with very soft acidic water (pH 5-6.5), subdued light and fine-leaved plants or a spawning mat.
Rain-season style changes: soft cool water changes, a small temperature rise and heavy live feeding.
Up to about 2,000 eggs scattered among plants; the fairly large fry can take brine shrimp nauplii once the yolk sac is used up.
Infusoria then brine shrimp nauplii; survival is poor without very clean water.
A large, silvery, surface-swimming characin with a pink-red tail from the Rio Negro, the Orinoco and the coastal rivers of the Guianas; a fast, jumpy fish with very large scales.
Georges Cuvier described the pink-tailed chalceus in 1818. It is a big, active characin with large silvery scales and a pinkish tail. In aquaria it is valued as a lively centrepiece for larger tanks.
First described by Georges Cuvier in 1818.
17 facts checked with sources
Valid. The genus also has C. erythrurus (upper Amazon: Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru), C. epakros, C. guaporensis and C. spilogyros (Zanata & Toledo-Piza 2004); upper-Amazon (e.g. Peruvian) imports sold as pink-tailed chalceus may be C. erythrurus.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species in Chalceus (updated 21 Sep 2026) · FishBase: Chalceus macrolepidotus summaryLegacy has no family. Formerly in Characidae (Seriously Fish still files it there); Catalog of Fishes and FishBase now place it in its own family, Chalceidae.
FishBase: Chalceus macrolepidotus summary · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species in Chalceus (updated 21 Sep 2026)Both 25 cm SL (standard length). Max published weight 376 g (FishBase).
FishBase: Chalceus macrolepidotus summary · Seriously Fish: Chalceus macrolepidotus (Pink-tailed Chalceus)Legacy has no hardness.
Seriously Fish: Chalceus macrolepidotus (Pink-tailed Chalceus)120 x 45 x 45 cm = 243 L. Legacy 500 L is more generous and fine as a recommendation.
Seriously Fish: Chalceus macrolepidotus (Pink-tailed Chalceus)Keep one, or 7 or more; never 2-6.
Seriously Fish: Chalceus macrolepidotus (Pink-tailed Chalceus)Legacy '8-10 years' is short; aquarium fish have lived over 15 years (max open-ended).
Seriously Fish: Chalceus macrolepidotus (Pink-tailed Chalceus)Seriously Fish's temperament measure: territorial.
Seriously Fish: Chalceus macrolepidotus (Pink-tailed Chalceus)Renowned jumper; needs a tight lid (confirms legacy).
Seriously Fish: Chalceus macrolepidotus (Pink-tailed Chalceus) · FishBase: Chalceus macrolepidotus summarySeriously Fish rates it Easy (once settled), though it needs a large tank. Legacy 2 (moderate).
Seriously Fish: Chalceus macrolepidotus (Pink-tailed Chalceus)Legacy has no range field.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species in Chalceus (updated 21 Sep 2026) · FishBase: Chalceus macrolepidotus summarySeriously Fish says sexual dimorphism is unknown; legacy 'no visible difference' left unconfirmed.
Seriously Fish: Chalceus macrolepidotus (Pink-tailed Chalceus)Legacy 'Not bred in aquaria' is wrong.
Seriously Fish: Chalceus macrolepidotus (Pink-tailed Chalceus)Legacy 'n/a'.
Seriously Fish: Chalceus macrolepidotus (Pink-tailed Chalceus)Legacy says 'from the Amazon and Orinoco basins'; within the Amazon it is only listed from the Rio Negro (upper-Amazon fish are C. erythrurus). Pink tail colour not checked against a source.
Seriously Fish: Chalceus macrolepidotus (Pink-tailed Chalceus) · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species in Chalceus (updated 21 Sep 2026) · FishBase: Chalceus macrolepidotus summary