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Killifish
/ Rivulinae / Freshwater Barracuda
Freshwater Barracuda, Spotted Cachorro
Acestrorhynchus falcatus | Pictures
SYN: Hydrogon
falcatus, Xiphoramphus falcatus, Xiphorhynchus falcatus
PD: A somewhat elongated fish that has a large mouth and eyes. Its body is silver in color.
The dorsal fin is located far back on the body and stands tall. Its tail is forked and has a large black spot at
its base. The other fins are transparent. Sometimes a black horizontal line, that runs from the eye to the tail
spot, develops.
SIZE: To 10" (25 cm)
SS: Other Acestrorhynchus
species.
HAB: South America; found in the Amazon Basin and the Paraguay River watershed.
S: middle, top
TANK: 48" (122 cm) or 55 gallons (209 L) is minimal.
The tank should be spacious with plenty
of open swimming areas.
Provide a cover of floating plants to dim the lighting.
Use a tight-fitting cover as this fish
is known to jump.
The tank should be heavily planted.
WATER: pH 5.8-7.5 (6.9), 4-15 dH (10), 79-86°F (26-30°C)
SB: Will eat smaller fish. A schooling fish that should be either keep singly or in groups
of 6 or more. If kept in groups of 2-5 fish, fighting will occur.
SC: Pimelodids, large Loricarids, Pacus, Piranhas, Silver Dollars, Arawana
FOOD: Live: mostly fish; earthworms, aquatic insects,
Tubifex ; pellets; chopped meat.
SEX: Females are plumper.
B: Unsuccessful in captivity
BP: 10.
This fish has not been bred in captivity.
R: Little is known about these fish, even though they are frequently sold in aquarium stores.
Acestrorhynchus nasutus
is distinguishable from
Acestrorhynchus falcatus
by its more slender body and the absence of a black spot behind the gill cover.
This
species is often referred to as a “Freshwater Barracuda" because of its body form, not because of any relationship
to the true marine Barracuda.
An important food fish in South America.
DC: 6.
A large and aggressive fish that requires a diet including live foods.
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
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