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FishFreshwaterIntermediate
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Goldstripe headstander
Anostomus ternetzi
An elegant, streamlined fish adorned with three golden longitudinal bands on a dark background. Like all anostomids, it swims in a vertical head-down position, tirelessly exploring rocks and driftwood for food. A constant grazer, it alternates between browsing algae and periphyton and brief forays into the water column. Native to the Orinoco basin and Guyana, it requires long tanks with current and a tightly fitting lid — it is a formidable jumper.
Class:Actinopteri
Order:Characiformes
Family:Anostomidae
Genus:Anostomus
Species:Anostomus ternetzi
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Water Temperature
22 - 28 °C
pH Value
5.5 - 7.5
Water type
Freshwater
Adult size
12 cm
Minimum tank volume
>= 200 L
Minimum group
>= 5
GH
1 - 12 dGH
KH
1 - 6 dKH
TDS
25 - 240 ppm
Conductivity
39 - 375 uS/cm
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Central Amazon River, Orinoco basin and southern Brazilian rivers (e.g. Xingu). Prefers areas with thick riparian vegetation or submerged reed beds where the water flows constantly but without violent rapids.
Taxonomy and Morphology: Ternetz's Headstander (Anostomus ternetzi). An Anostomid with a thick "pencil" appearance. Also in this species, the superior mouth pushes the fish to maintain the distinctive crooked posture ("Headstander") to scrape food from surfaces.
Social Behavior: Very similar to its congener (A. anostomus), but known to be slightly less aggressive. Extremely gregarious, a large group (6-8 specimens) lives in a constant state of harmless skirmishes in which the "King" of the school is established.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Spectacular "zebra" livery: golden background broken by wide and evident thick VERTICAL black bands, unlike A. anostomus where they are horizontal. The fins fade slightly to red/orange. There is no apparent dimorphism.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Aquarium Setup: A swimming-oriented but structured aquarium (120 cm / 48 inches). Many tangled roots pointing upwards or sealed bamboo will help the fish to rest upside down feeling covered. Heavy cover mandatory to avoid fatal jumps.
Diet and Feeding: Predominantly herbivorous scraper, does not ignore protein invertebrates. Tender plants will be reduced to "skeletons" (Anubias resist). Must be supported with crushed peas, pure algae pellets and occasional bloodworms.
Water Quality: Pure Amazonian fish: the water should be soft and slightly acidic, but shows great adaptability if the changes are slow. Requires abundant oxygenation produced by a vigorous spray bar on the surface.
Compatibility and Cohabitation: Perfect for the so-called "Placid Monster Aquariums". Pairs well with Panaque, large Metynnis (Silver Dollars), Geophagus and Leporinus. In small tanks or in small numbers it turns into a fin-tearer towards slow Tetras.
Aquarium Breeding: Spawns in captivity are not well documented at the hobby level. It is assumed they spawn en masse at dawn, scattering tiny eggs in the thick foliage after complex chases.
Risks and Diseases: Since it feeds by "spitting and re-chewing" the mush from the bottom, the ingestion of sharp-edged gravel causes internal lacerations that are often lethal. Fine sand is mandatory.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Central Amazon River, Orinoco basin and southern Brazilian rivers (e.g. Xingu). Prefers areas with thick riparian vegetation or submerged reed beds where the water flows constantly but without violent rapids.
Origin
Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas
Fish profile
- Temperament
- No verified data available
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 12 cm
- Sex ratio
- No verified data available
- Feeding frequency
- No verified data available
- Bioload
- Medium
- Flow
- No verified data available
- Jump risk
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Compatibility & tankmates
- No verified data available
- Tank level
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 12 cm. The FishBase SPECIES table (v25.04 snapshot) source reports a maximum adult measurement of 12 cm for this species, recorded as total length (TL). The taxonomic record consulted is Anostomus ternetzi (v25.04); male or unsexed record. These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
The single-adult profile is classified as medium bioload. The bioload-v2 rubric deterministically assigns this class from the verified maximum length of 12 cm; it is a catalog management category, not a direct measurement of waste output.
Window to the official scientific data of the species
Data synced on: 06/15/2026
Scientific Parameters & Models
- Trophic level
- 2.6 ± 0.26 se
- Resilience
- High (less than 15 months)
- Phylogenetic uniqueness (PD50)
- 0.5312
- Bayesian Length-Weight
- a = 0.00891, b = 3.05
VulnerabilityLow vulnerability (10 / 100)
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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