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Semi-aggressive with its own kind; best alone or with large fish.
219 species in our list are a good match.
Semi-aggressive with its own kind; best alone or with large fish.
Not for home aquariums. This fish grows far too big for any home tank. It needs a pond-sized system of thousands of litres, so please don't buy one as a baby.
Vegetables and spirulina.
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No reliable external differences are known.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Egg-scatterer ·
Not known to have been bred in captivity.
Needs a school of 6+ in a large tank; ripe females swell with eggs.
Very large tank or pond with floating plants or mops, soft slightly acidic water and warm temperatures.
Rainy-season style water changes with soft, slightly cooler water and plenty of greens and protein.
n/a
Fry take powdered food and brine shrimp nauplii, then chopped greens; grow fast and need space.
A big Congo-basin characin that can reach about 75 cm. Juveniles are orange with dark bars and bright red fins, but much of this colour fades with age. It eats plants as well as worms, crustaceans and insects, so it destroys most planted tanks.
George Albert Boulenger described this fish in 1897 from the Congo basin. Young fish are bright orange with six dark bars, which made them popular in shops, but the colours fade as they grow. Adults become large plant-eaters that can reach around 75 cm.
First described by George A. Boulenger in 1897. Named for 'sexfasciatus' means six-banded.
15 facts checked with sources
Described by Boulenger, 1897. D. tanganicae is a synonym. Juveniles are easily confused with D. lusosso, which has a long pointed snout.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Distichodus sexfasciatus · FishBase: Distichodus sexfasciatus summaryLegacy has no family. Seriously Fish still files it under Citharinidae (older, broader grouping); Catalog of Fishes and FishBase use Distichodontidae.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Distichodus sexfasciatus · FishBase: Distichodus sexfasciatus summary · Seriously Fish: Distichodus sexfasciatusFishBase 76 cm SL, Seriously Fish 75 cm SL (standard length); legacy 75 agrees within rounding. Aquarium specimens rarely exceed ~40 cm.
FishBase: Distichodus sexfasciatus summary · Seriously Fish: Distichodus sexfasciatusBoth sources 22-26; legacy 24-28 runs warmer.
Seriously Fish: Distichodus sexfasciatus · FishBase: Distichodus sexfasciatus summaryLegacy has no hardness.
Seriously Fish: Distichodus sexfasciatus · FishBase: Distichodus sexfasciatus summary240 x 90 x 60 cm = 1,296,000 cm³ = 1,296 L for a single fish (Seriously Fish). Legacy 1,200 L is slightly under.
Seriously Fish: Distichodus sexfasciatusUsually kept singly. FishBase says wild fish swim in shoals, so a group needs an enormous tank.
Seriously Fish: Distichodus sexfasciatusDo not keep with much smaller or shy fish.
Seriously Fish: Distichodus sexfasciatusLegacy "middle"; both sources put it low in the water.
Seriously Fish: Distichodus sexfasciatus · FishBase: Distichodus sexfasciatus summaryDifficulty comes from its size, not fragility. Legacy 2 (moderate) too low.
Seriously Fish: Distichodus sexfasciatusLegacy has no range field. Seriously Fish lists "Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania"; Cameroon is not supported by Catalog of Fishes or FishBase.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Distichodus sexfasciatus · FishBase: Distichodus sexfasciatus summarySeriously Fish lists sexual dimorphism as "Unknown", consistent with legacy "no visible difference".
Seriously Fish: Distichodus sexfasciatusLegacy "Not bred in aquaria" verified. The legacy spawning-tank recipe (school of 6+, rainy-season water changes, mops) is speculative and unsourced.
Seriously Fish: Distichodus sexfasciatusLegacy calls it a herbivore; sources describe an omnivore that eats a lot of plant matter. Legacy red fins and six bars describe juveniles; adults lose much of the colour. Often wrongly sold as a community fish (Seriously Fish).
Seriously Fish: Distichodus sexfasciatus · FishBase: Distichodus sexfasciatus summary