Encyclopaedia
Finescale Four-eyed Fish
Anableps microlepis
An extraordinary brackish water fish with eyes divided horizontally to see above and below the water surface simultaneously.
- Family
- Anablepidae
- Origin
- Costa settentrionale del Sud America: dall'estuario dell'Orinoco in Venezuela fino al delta del Rio delle Amazzoni in Brasile.
- Origin
- Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas
- Tank use
- Used in 0 tanks
Share
24 °C - 28 °C
7.5 - 8.5
Freshwater / Brackish
Surface
30 cm
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Coastal lagoons, muddy estuaries, and river mouths of northern South America, where it spends all day cruising the surface.
Taxonomy and Morphology: Belongs to the family Anablepidae. Eyes are divided by a horizontal band of tissue, allowing simultaneous aerial and aquatic vision. Reaches 30 cm.
Social Behavior: Highly schooling. They rely on groups for security and should be kept in numbers of at least 6 individuals.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Silvery-grey body with faint stripes. Males possess a modified anal fin called an 'andropodium' used for internal fertilization.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Aquarium Setup: Needs a shallow tank with maximum surface area. Lower the water level by 10-15 cm to prevent them from hitting the lid.
Diet and Feeding: Strictly surface-level feeder. Diet must include live insects (crickets, flies), mysis, krill, and floating pellets.
Water Quality: Prefers brackish water conditions. Pristine water quality is critical as they are sensitive to nitrogenous waste buildup.
Compatibility and Cohabitation: Safe with peaceful bottom dwellers like archerfish and brackish gobies. Do not keep with aggressive surface feeders.
Aquarium Breeding: Livebearing species. The male fertilizes the female using the one-sided andropodium. Young are born large (4-5 cm).
Risks and Diseases: Eye trauma (cloudiness) is common if they scrape against decor. High jump risk; requires a secure cover.
Fish profile
- Temperament
- Pacifico e gregario, ma molto attivo e predatore di superficie
- Diet
- Carnivoro, si nutre di insetti volanti, crostacei e piccoli pesci
- Tank level
- Surface
- Minimum group
- 6
- Adult size
- 30 cm
- Minimum tank volume
- 350 L
- GH
- n/a
- KH
- n/a
- TDS
- n/a
- Conductivity
- n/a
- Feeding frequency
- 2 volte al giorno
- Bioload
- Alto
- Flow
- Moderato
- Jump risk
- Covered tank required
- Reproduction
- Viviparo. Fecondazione interna. Partorisce piccoli completamente formati.
- Compatibility & tankmates
- Mantenere in grandi vasche specifiche con pesci di fondo pacifici. Evitare coinquilini iperattivi di superficie.
Ecological Estimates & Biological Models
- Trophic level
- 2.8 ± 0.3 se
- Resilience
- Low (4.5 - 14 years)
- Phylogenetic uniqueness (PD50)
- 0.625
- Bayesian Length-Weight
- a = 0.00537, b = 3.15
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
Related species
Other recommended species with similar care requirements and water parameters.
