Edit Copella eigenmanni
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Name
Scientific name
Copella eigenmanni
Described by
Authority Regan, Year 1912, Bracketed
Family
Lebiasinidae
Common names
Not recorded
Photograph credits
All 4 credited
Summary
Copella eigenmanni is a small lebiasinid from the Orinoco system in the llanos of Colombia and Venezuela, including the Meta, Caroní and Ap…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
45mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 80 cm, Minimum depth 30 cm
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 20–28°C, pH 4–7
Hardness
1–8dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Peaceful
Social needs
A shoal or group
Community suitability
Community-safe
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
Colombia, Venezuela, Apure, Caroní, Meta, Orinoco
Writing
Etymology
Copella: a diminutive of the generic name Copeina which was named for naturalist Edward Drinker Cope (1840-1897). eigenmanni: named for ichthyologist Carl H. E…
Distribution
Known with certainty from the llanos regions of Colombia and Venezuela where it occurs in the Río Orinoco system including its major tributaries such as the rí…
Habitat
Not written yet
Aquarium size
Surface dimensions of 80 ∗ 30 cm or equivalent should be the minimum considered for long-term care although smaller aquaria can be used for breeding.
Maintenance
Best kept in a densely-planted aquarium or paludarium with some overhanging vegetation, roots or branches important if you wish to raise fry alongside the adul…
Water conditions
Not written yet
Diet
Probably a micropredator feeding on tiny invertebrates and other zooplankton in nature. In the aquarium it will accept dried foods of a suitable size but shoul…
Behaviour and compatibility
Peaceful but somewhat unsuitable for the general community aquarium. It’s perhaps best-maintained alongside similarly-sized characids, gasteropelecids, lebiasi…
Sexual dimorphism
Males grows significantly larger, develop more-extended fins and are more intensely-coloured than females, while the latter are noticeably rounder-bodied, espe…
Reproduction
This species deposits its eggs among vegetation, these being guarded by the male during incubation. In a mature set-up it's possible that small numbers of fry …
Notes
This species does appear in the aquarium trade from time-to-time, often among shipments of other wild-caught fishes from the Orinoco basin. Populations from Co…
References
References
5 on this profile