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River

Manacapuru

Only species with a profile on Seriously Fish are counted.

Species
6
Families
5
Photographed
6 of 6
Difficulty rated
6 of 6

Send a photographAdd a fish that lives here

The river

Flows into
Amazon

The mouth is from Wikidata, checked on 24 October 2026.

Basin

Runs through

Also in the Amazon basinspecies recorded from both

Specimen from the German aquarium trade.

Colomesus asellusAmazon Puffer

Tetraodontidae · (Müller & Troschel, 1849)

Max length
128mm SL5in SL
Tank
120 × 30cm48 × 12in
Temp
20–26°C68–79°F
pH
5.5–8.0

The Amazon puffer, Colomesus asellus, is a freshwater puffer found throughout much of the Amazon basin, with records north to Guyana and Venezuela. Also traded as the South American puffer or 'SAP', it is told from congeners by a transverse row of dermal flaps across the chin. It lives mostly in well-oxygenated river habitats, is intolerant of organic waste, and forms loose aggregations, so a group of 6 or more is best, away from the general community.

Moderate
Metynnis lippincottianus

Metynnis lippincottianus

Serrasalmidae · (Cope, 1870)

Max length
130mm SL5in SL
Tank
150 × 38cm60 × 15in
Temp
23–27°C73–81°F
pH
6.0–7.0

Metynnis lippincottianus is a spotted silver dollar from Brazil and French Guiana, found in the lower and middle Amazon and the Oyapock system. It is occasionally seen for sale, sometimes as 'silver dollar', and its spotted pattern tells it apart from M. argenteus and M. hypsauchen. The spots are less pronounced than in M. maculatus, with which it shares a common name. The precise extent of its range is unclear.

Difficult
Adult individual in the aquarium.

Satanoperca acuticepsSharphead Eartheater

Cichlidae · (Heckel, 1840)

Max length
170mm SL7in SL
Tank
180 × 60cm72 × 24in
Temp
20–28°C68–82°F
pH
5.5–7.5

The sharphead eartheater, Satanoperca acuticeps, is a cichlid from the central Amazon basin in Brazil, including the lower rio Negro and rio Branco. Relatively rare in the trade, it is sometimes confused with S. daemon and S. lilith but has three dark flank blotches (vs. two in S. daemon, one in S. lilith). Unless breeding it is surprisingly peaceful, and it is very rarely bred in aquaria.

Moderate
Specimen from the U.S. aquarium trade.

Satanoperca lilith

Cichlidae · Kullander & Ferreira, 1988

Max length
255mm SL10in SL
Tank
210 × 60cm84 × 24in
Temp
20–28°C68–82°F
pH
5.0–7.5

Satanoperca lilith is an eartheater cichlid known only from Brazil, where it is widely distributed along the Solimões/Amazon main channel. Despite that extensive range it is uncommon in the ornamental trade, where it is sometimes called 'one-spotted demon fish' or 'one spot eartheater'. A single dark blotch on the flank separates it from the closely similar S. daemon, which has two.

Difficult
Subadult at about 40 cm in length, still to develop adult colour pattern.

Brachyplatystoma capapretum

Pimelodidae · Lundberg & Akama, 2005

Max length
880mm SL35in SL
Tank
not recorded
Temp
22–28°C72–82°F
pH
6.0–8.0

Brachyplatystoma capapretum is a large, piscivorous pimelodid catfish found throughout much of the Amazon basin, from near Belém to Iquitos in Peru. The largest recorded specimen measured 880 mm, and it is suitable only for public aquaria and a very small minority of private aquarists. It is very similar to B. filamentosum but smaller, with shorter maxillary barbels, a moderately forked caudal-fin with lobes of equal size, and adults very dark above.

Difficult
1 field missing
A healthy adult in suitably-sized surroundings.

Osteoglossum bicirrhosumSilver Arowana

Osteoglossidae · (Cuvier, 1829)

Max length
800mm SL31in SL
Tank
not recorded
Temp
20–30°C68–86°F
pH
5.0–7.5

The silver arowana, Osteoglossum bicirrhosum, is a large predator from the Amazon basin, plus river systems in Guyana and French Guiana. Reaching 80 cm, it is largely unsuitable for the home aquarium, and although juveniles are readily available, few private aquarists can house an adult long-term. Juveniles have a single dark lateral stripe, while in those of its only congener, O. ferreirai, most of the body and fins are dark.

Difficult
1 field missing