Photo: Andrew Bogott, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Redtail splitfin
Xenotoca eiseni
6 cm
Adult size
70 L
Minimum volume
5
Minimum group
5 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Xenotoca
- Diet
- omnivore
- Social life
- small group
In the wild
Overview
This livebearer of the family Goodeidae, with an orange-red tail and a bluish back in the male, is incredibly hardy and adaptable, but less popular than it used to be, probably because of its often aggressive temperament. It is listed as endangered in the wild. Males and females differ less in size than in other livebearers.
- Scientific name
- Xenotoca eiseni (Rutter, 1896)
- Classification
- Cyprinodontiformes › Goodeidae
- IUCN Red List
- Endangered (EN)
Natural habitat
Western Mexico
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in very varied habitats, from clear mountain streams to polluted roadside ditches.
Behaviour
Unpredictable: some individuals do well in a community tank, others nip fins, or even attack and kill other species. It seems to target catfish in particular, such as Corydoras, tearing their fins and eating their eyes. It is best kept in a species tank. Undemanding, it accepts most foods, with a plant component.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth