Edit Acheilognathus macropterus
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Name
Scientific name
Acheilognathus macropterus
Described by
Authority Bleeker, Year 1871, Bracketed
Family
Cyprinidae
Common names
Giant Chinese Bitterling, Riesenbitterling
Photograph credits
All 3 credited
Summary
The giant Chinese bitterling, Acheilognathus macropterus, is a bitterling from China, the Korean peninsula, northern Vietnam and southeaste…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
275mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 180 cm, Minimum depth 60 cm
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 14–22°C, pH 6–8
Hardness
2–15dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Predatory
Social needs
A shoal or group
Community suitability
Community-safe
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea, Vietnam, Amur, Bei, Dong, Nakdong, Qiantang, Red, Songhua, Yangtze, Yellow, Zhu
Writing
Etymology
Acheilognathus: from the Greek á- (Gr. ἀ-), meaning 'without', cheílos (Gr. χείλος), meaning ´lip', and gnáthos (Gr. γνάθος), meaning 'jaw', because members of…
Distribution
Native to China, the Korean peninsula, northern Vietnam, and southeastern Russia. It has been introduced to, and is considered invasive, in Japan. In China it'…
Habitat
Tends to occur in vegetated, slowly-moving sections of rivers and appears particularly well-adapted to large bodies of standing water, including man-made reser…
Aquarium size
Requires a large aquarium with minimum base dimensions of 180 ∗ 60 cm or equivalent.
Maintenance
An aquarium arranged to resemble a slowly-flowing stream or river with a substrate of variably-sized, water-worn rocks, sand, fine gravel and perhaps some smal…
Water conditions
Not written yet
Diet
An omnivore preying on insects and their larvae as well as browsing algae and other vegetation in nature although in the aquarium it's a largely unfussy feeder…
Behaviour and compatibility
Not aggressive except when breeding, although it seems feasible that much smaller tankmates may be eaten by adults. It should do well alongside similarly-sized…
Sexual dimorphism
Males possess more extended rays in the dorsal and anal fins than females, while nuptial males display an overall more intense colour pattern, with a pale pink…
Reproduction
Bitterlings (see 'Notes') exhibit an unusual spawning symbiosis in which the interlamellar spaces of the paired inner and outer gills of living unionid mussels…
Notes
A. macropterus appears in the ornamental trade on an irregular basis and should only be considered by more experienced aquarists with sufficiently large facili…
References
References
11 on this profile