Datasheet Butterflyfish

German name:
Butterflyfish

Scientific name:
Ameca splendens

Origin:
Central America (Mexico)

Size:
Females about 12 cm, males about 8 cm

Aquarium

Length:
at least 100 cm

Contents:
from 160 liters

water values

Temperature:
22°C – 28°C (at night – 5°C)

pH:
7.0 – 8.0

GH:
6°dGH – 20°dGH

Behave

Area:
mid to top

Lining:
Live, frozen and dry food

Behave:
Sociable, several females to one male, aggressive to animals on the ground, males are aggressive to each other. Association with robust species of the same size or slightly larger.

Number:
from 30 animals Usien, Ameca splendens young animal Dec 2016, CC0 1.0

Ameca splendes is referred to by various German names in the aquarium trade. These include finny finfish, ameca finfish, and ameca butterfly finfish. Sometimes Ameco is written instead of Ameca.

The species was probably introduced to Germany in the late 1970s. The basic color of the body is silver. The males have a black longitudinal band, the so-called lateral stripe. The males have a yellow-black border on the tail. The females have black dots.

The anal fin of the males also has a yellow-black border and is converted to an anddropodium.

Numerous color forms have evolved in aquaria, deviating so much from the original type that they look like other species.

The fish grow to about 10 cm. The aquarium should have at least 100 liters of water.

The area of ​​origin

Ameca splendens originally comes from the Mexican highlands. The species is native to the Rio Teuchitlan near the town of Teuchitlan and the Rio Ameca about 10 kilometers east of the town of Ameca.

Water parameters for butterfly minnows

The water should have a total hardness of at least 10° dGH. The pH should be between 7 and 8. The water temperature should be between 22°C and 28°C. When keeping and breeding, a drop in temperature of about 5° C at night is recommended.

A slight salt content of one teaspoon per 10 liters of water is possible. The fish are sensitive to sudden changes in water chemistry.

What butterflyfish eat

Ameca splendens eats all kinds of dry, frozen and live food. B. gladly eaten. Since the animals also need vegetable food, algae should be present in the aquarium as additional food. From time to time scalded leaf spinach should be fed.

How butterfly minnows behave

Because Ameca splendens likes to swim, there must be enough swimming space in the aquarium.

Males engage in fights among themselves that establish a ranking order. The alpha male can be identified by his dominant demeanor and bright yellow transverse band on the trailing edge of the caudal fin. In this male, the outer ends of the dorsal and anal can also be colored yellow.

Low-ranking males are driven out by the alpha male. If there are only 2 or 3 males in the aquarium, this can result in lower-ranking animals being hunted to death.

Dense vegetation, roots, stone structures, caves, etc. give the inferior animals the opportunity to hide.
If more males are kept, the aggression is spread over several animals and the individual lower-ranking animals can recover in between.

An equal number of males and females are kept. In a larger group, there should be slightly more males than females.

socialization with other fish

The species can be kept in a community aquarium and easily socialized with other larger species.

Notes on Breeding

Breeding tanks for each female should have 10 liters of water. Ameca splendens is viviparous. A litter is born every 6 to 8 weeks. Up to 40 young are born with each litter. The young are up to 20 millimeters long at birth. The young are not pursued by the older conspecifics.

The young animals can be fed with finely sieved zooplankton and artemia nauplii. After a week, spinach puree is given as additional feed.

The abdomen of the females collapses strongly after birth. However, the females recover quickly.

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