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Encyclopedia / Tetras / Spotted headstander
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Variations

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Spotted headstander

Chilodus punctatus · Chilodus

Peaceful but shy; needs hiding places and a group of six or more.

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8 cmBody length, without tail ✓
24–28 °CTemperature ✓
5.5–7pH ✓
81 LSmallest tank ✓
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Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Spotted headstander is tropical.
  • They need different temperatures (24–28 °C vs 14–22 °C). No setting suits both.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Spotted headstander only grows to 8 cm.
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (24–28 °C vs 10–22 °C). No setting suits both.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 24–25 °C.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 24 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

304 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓1–10 dGH
Group size ?6 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ✓Middle
Care level ✓Moderate
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 4–5 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful but shy; needs hiding places and a group of six or more.

Food

Flakes, algae wafers, blanched greens and frozen foods.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Adult males have a slightly longer dorsal fin; mature females are rounder.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Egg-scatterer (rarely bred) ·

Has apparently been bred in aquaria, but no details are published; presumably an egg scatterer with no parental care.

Pairing

Needs a large group in mature, stable conditions; pairing is hard to control.

Setup

Roomy, planted tank with very soft acidic water (pH 5-6.5), subdued light and fine-leaved plants or a spawning mat.

What starts it

Rain-season style changes: soft cool water changes, a small temperature rise and heavy live feeding.

Eggs

unknown

Raising the fry

Infusoria then brine shrimp nauplii; survival is poor without very clean water.

Common mistakes
  • Hard tap water
  • Overcrowding the breeding tank
  • Poor water quality
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionAmazon and Orinoco basins and the Guianas – Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela & Guyana
Rivers and lakesAmazon, Orinoco and Essequibo river systems
HabitatSlow, densely vegetated streams and flooded forest
Native rangeAbout 2,000 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the spotted headstander

A shy, peaceful headstander from the Amazon, western Orinoco and the Guianas; 'punctatus' means spotted, after its spotted pattern, which varies by locality.

German zoologists Johannes Müller and Franz Troschel described the spotted headstander in 1844. It has been a familiar aquarium fish since the early 20th century thanks to its gentle nature and peppered pattern. It swims at a head-down angle and picks food from plants and leaves.

First described by Johannes Müller & Franz H. Troschel in 1844.

  • Its head-down swimming posture gives the headstanders their common name.
  • Its rows of dark spots usually merge into a stripe at night or when the fish is stressed.
  • It belongs to the small family Chilodontidae, close relatives of the anostomid headstanders.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources