In the natural habitat of the cardinal tetra food sources are very scarce. So it is really astonishing how many species can exist there. However, many of them stay very small. Good luck for the aquarium hobby, for they all make very good ornamental species!
Even a predatory species of that biotope is such a dwarf: Gnathocharax steindachneri. It attains a maximum length of only 5 cm and belongs to the closer relationship to the freshwater barracudas (Acestrorhynchus), what is clearly visibly by the structure of the fangs and teeth. However, Gnathocharax is not dangerous for other fishes larger than approx. 1 cm. Most probably the species feeds on fish and insect larvae in the wild.
Currently we were able once more to import this most interesting species of tetra. It is perfectly suitable for community tanks with cardinals and other tetras. Here Gnathocharax loves to swim along with conspecifics in the upper third of the water column. The fish feed readily on any type of usual fish food, even dry food is taken from the very first day on, despite the specialized dentition.
For our customers: the fish have code 254653 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
