Splash tetra is an indeed beautiful and fascinating little fish. It is very famous due to it´s unique way of spawning...
Splash tetra, also know as Splashing tetra, Spraying characin, Jumping characin, Spotted characin and its scientic name Copella arnoldi, is an indeed beautiful and fascinating little fish. It is very famous due to it´s unique way of spawning.
SPLASH TETRA - COPELLA ARNOLDI DESCRIPTION:
Splash tetra is found in the fresh waters of the lower Amazon Basin in Brazil as well was on the coast of Suriname, Guiana and Guyana. It has been introduced into the Nariva Swamp in Trinidad. Mostly inhabits streams and minor tributaries and occurs in flooded forests during periods of high water. This species of fish prefers to live in waters which has a large amount of plants hanging over the surface of the water.
Copella arnoldi is usually about 3.4-4cm in length but depends on whether or not it is male or female. The males can grow to up to 9 cm long and the females can get to 7 cm long. This species has a relativy large, upturned mounth with acute teeth. There is no lateral line and no adipose fin.
These fish have a long, slender body which is gold or silver in colour. They are not a striking fish in color, but they are pretty and very alert. The male has yellow flowing fins with a red tip on the lower lobe of the tail. Both sexes have a white spot at the base of the dorsal fin, with a black area above it. The female has shorter, fairly clear fins and a fuller body. The male has longer fins which are more colourful, with red and black outlines, and male tetras are also larger than the females.
The male displaying an array of colours in order to attract a female to reproduce. This species synchronize their swimming and jumps out of the water to lay eggs on leaves over the surface of the water. The fry of this species tend to be in schools in weedy, quiet environments, and are not very active.
SPLASH TETRA - COPELLA ARNOLDI CARE:
Splash tetra are a very peaceful fish; they will not compete for territory like some other fish. It would not be ideal to keep them with heavy feeders such as Congo Tetras as this fish will not compete for food and therefore will not get much food at all. They can be kept with some tetras such as cherry barbs, hockey stick or cardinals, and also live comfortably with white clouds.
With a developed gregarious instinct, this small fish likes to live in groups. The minimum for proper maintenance starts at 6 specimens, but a group of 10 is ideal. They need a tank of minimum of 25 gallons with water temperature of 25 - 29 °C, pH level of 6.5 - 7.5 and general hardness of 50 - 100 ppm.
They are 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 adults. Floating vegetation is also useful since this species appears to prefer relatively dim conditions and spends much of its time in the upper part of the water column.
In its natural environment this fish feeds on small invertebrates and zooplankton at the surface of the water and is known as a micropredator. But in home aquarium they will accept any sort of food ranging from live or frozen brine shrimp and small pellets and flakes.
SPLASH TETRA - COPELLA ARNOLDI SPAWNING:
Splash tetra have very interesting breeding behaviour, as they lay their eggs on the leaves of overhanging plants, then splash water over the eggs so that they don’t dry out. In an aquarium, they may spawn by depositing their eggs on the underside of the cover glass.
When these fish are mature enough to reproduce, the male chooses a suitable leaf on which to lay the eggs and awaits a female to be attracted to him. When the male attracts the female they both jump out of the water at the same time and on to the underside of the leaf which the male has chosen.
They do this several times and each time the female releases her eggs and the male fertilizes them immediately, at the end of this there are dozens of eggs on the leaf. When they complete their mating the female leave the male to care for the eggs. The male splashes water on the eggs every few hours for the next few days with his tail.
Incubation lasts from 48 to 60 hours and then the eggs hatch. The fry then fall into the water when the male is watered. The yolk sac is resorbed in 36 to 48 hours and then it is free swimming for the fry. They concentrate below the surface: add floating plants to reassure them. You can feed thew fry with rotifers, infusoriae and then nauplia of artemia.
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