Characins
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Colossoma macropomum
Synonyms: Colossoma oculus
Common Names: Red-bellied Pacu
Synonym:  
Other Common Names: Pacu, Black-fin Pacu, Red-finned Pacu
Family:   Serrasalminae
Continent:  South America
Distribution:  Amazon, & Orinoco Basins
Habitat: Flood plains & Flooded Forest
Food:  Plants, invertebrates,  will eat flake food etc.
Water Temperature:  23-27°C
Water Chemistry:  soft, acidic water preferred but will  tolerate slight variations.
FBAS Size:  350mm
FBAS Class:  C
Additional Information:

Hemigrammus bellottii
Synonyms: Tetragonopterus bellottii
Common Names: Bellott's Tetra
Synonym:  
Family: Characidae
Continent:  South America
Distribution: Rio Negro & Rio Maroni
Habitat: lives in upper reaches of rivers
Food:  small invertebrates,  will eat flake food etc.
Water Temperature:  23-26°C
Water Chemistry:  soft, acidic water preferred but will  tolerate slight variations.
FBAS Size:  45mm
FBAS Class:  Ca
Additional Information:

Hemigrammus erythrozonus
Synonyms: none
Common Names: Glowlight Tetra
Family:   Lebiasindae
Continent:  South America
Distribution:  Rio Essequibo
Habitat: river species
Food:  small invertebrates,  will eat flake food etc.
Water Temperature:  23-28°C
Water Chemistry:  soft, acidic water preferred but will  tolerate slight variations.
FBAS Size:  40mm
FBAS Class:  Ca
Additional Information:

Hemigrammus ulreyi
Synonyms: Tetragonopterus ulreyi
Common Names: none
Family:  Characidae
Continent:  South America
Distribution:  Paraguay
Habitat:  rivers & streams
Food:  small live food and flake food etc.
Water Temperature:  23-27°C
Water Chemistry:  soft, acidic water preferred but will  tolerate slight variations.
FBAS Size:  45mm
FBAS Class: Ca
Additional Information: This fish always shows well and it grows to size easily. It is peaceful and will eat any type of aquarium foods.

Hyphessobrycon amapaensis
Synonyms: none
Common Names:  none
Family:   Characidae  
Continent:   South America
Distribution:   Brazil
Habitat:   rivers & streams with sandy bottoms
Food:   small live food and flake food etc.
Water Temperature:   21-27°C
Water Chemistry:   soft, acidic water preferred but will  tolerate slight variations.
FBAS Size:   45mm
FBAS Class:   Ca
Additional Information: This fish exhibits very well in show tanks, keeping its colour. It is peaceful and will eat any type of aquarium foods.

Lepidarchus adonis
Synonyms: none
Common Names: Adonis Tetra, Jellybean Tetra
Other Common Names:  
Family: Alestidae
Continent: Africa
Distribution: Ghana & Ivory Coast
Habitat: Streams
Food:  small invertebrates,  will eat flake food etc.
Water Temperature:  23-26°C
Water Chemistry:  soft, acidic water preferred but will  tolerate slight variations.
FBAS Size:  35mm
FBAS Class:  C
Additional Information: A small delicate species. Females show eggs through their transparent abdomen when ready to breed.

Nannostomus espei
Synonyms: Poecilobrycon espei
Common Names: Espei's Pencilfish, Four-barred Pencilfish
Family:  Lebiasinidae
Continent:  South America
Distribution:  Import from Guyana
Habitat:  rivers & streams
Food:  small live food and flake food etc.
Water Temperature:  22-27°C
Water Chemistry:  soft, acidic water preferred but will  tolerate slight variations.
FBAS Size:  40mm
FBAS Class:  Cb
Additional Information: Imported size 20mm, One of the smaller pencilfish, rarely imported because of its location. The colour markings ‘barring’ is a character that all pencilfish share at night when their horizontal stripes fade and vertical bars come in! however in the espei they are permanent (and don’t change to horizontal stripes!) Images & text by Robbie Kirkup

Nematobrycon lacortei
Synonyms: none
Common Names: Rainbow Emperor Tetra, Rainbow Tetra
Family:  Characidae 
Continent:  South America
Distribution:  San Juan River
Habitat:  river & streams
Food:  small live food and flake food etc.
Water Temperature:  22-28°C
Water Chemistry:  soft, acidic water preferred but will  tolerate slight variations.
FBAS Size:  60mm
FBAS Class:  C
Additional Information: A tank bred import, at size 25mm, A continuous egg scatter from Columbia, was once very common, but now have to be sourced out from supplies who are never sure how to tell them apart from the other emperor tetra found in Columbia ‘N. palmeri’. When mature the fish are a marbled blue green, the male's eyes are red while the ‘palmeri’ emperors are blue.
Images & text by Robbie Kirkup

Neolebias ansorgi
Synonyms: Neolebias landgrafi
Common Names: Ansorges Emerald Tetra
Family:  Citharinidae
Continent:  South America
Distribution:  import from Cameroon
Habitat:  rivers & streams
Food:  small live food and flake food etc.
Water Temperature:  24-28°C
Water Chemistry:  soft, acidic water preferred but will  tolerate slight variations.
FBAS Size:  35mm
FBAS Class:  C
Additional Information: Imported size 20mm. Ideal tank companion for the popular galaxy rasbora? And for the popular nano aquariums which are now big sellers!
Image & text by Robbie Kirkup

Piabucina astrigata
Synonyms: Lebiasina astrigata
Common Names: None
Family:   Lebiasindae
Synonyms:  
Continent:  South America
Distribution:  Northern Ecuador & Southern Columbia
Habitat:
Food:  invertebrates,  will eat flake food etc.
Water Temperature:  22-26°C
Water Chemistry:  soft, acidic water preferred but will  tolerate slight variations.
FBAS Size:  100mm
FBAS Class:  C
Additional Information: Import from Columbia (shipped in with anomola pencils). Can be confused with Lebiasina multimaculata (12 spots on each body side). Body shape is more like a minnow than a pencil/tetra so this may trip you up.
Image & Text by Robbie Kirkup. See article for more details

Pyrrhulina spilota
Synonyms: none
Common Names: Blotched Pyrrhulina
Family:   Lebiasindae
Continent:  South America
Distribution:  
Habitat:
Food:  invertebrates,  will eat flake food etc.
Water Temperature:  23-26°C
Water Chemistry:  soft, acidic water preferred but will  tolerate slight variations.
FBAS Size:  60mm
FBAS Class:  C
Additional Information:

Saccodon dariensis
Synonyms: Parodon dariensis
Common Names: none
Family:  Parodontidae
Continent:  South America
Distribution: Panama
Habitat: fast flowing stretches of rivers
Food:  small invertebrates, fish, will eat flake food etc.
Water Temperature:  23-26°C
Water Chemistry:  soft, acidic water preferred but will  tolerate slight variations.
FBAS Size:  150mm
FBAS Class:  C
Additional Information: