The tretras represent a group of fishes that has developed a lot of very contrasting forms. Everybody knows the cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) as a paragon for a peaceful community fish, but the pack hunting piranha that bites big pieces of meat off its victim is also well known.
Among the predatory species are the three or four species of Galeocharax. These fishes can reach a length of 20-25 cm. All species look very similar to each other, our determination bases mainly on the origin (Peru), as only G. gulo is reported from there so far. These fishes are real rarities in the import business, the current importation is only the second in the history of our company.
Galeocharax belong to the group of the so-called “water-dogs”, which have needle-pointed teeth that are used to hold the prey. It is quite obviously that such predators are only suited for specialized aquaristis. They need large tanks for they are active swimmers. Against conspecifics the fish are relatively peaceful as well as against tankmates that are too large to be eaten. However, Galeocharax are shy fish and one should keep that in mind in respect of planned tankmates.
For our customers: the fish have code 254152 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Galeocharax: compound of the ancient Greek word for a small shark and “charax”: Charax is another genus of tetra. gulo: after the scientific name of the wolverine (Gulo gulo), a large species of weasel.
Suggestion of a common name: Barrakuda water dog
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
| Angaben zum Tier | |
|---|---|
| Herkunft | Peru |
| Verfügbare Größe in cm | 8-10 |
