Freshwater
Merry widow livebearer
Phallichthys amates
Poeciliidae, Poeciliinae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 7 cm
- Body shape
- Elongated
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 13 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
More about the species
Description
Occurs mainly in stagnant waters, creeks and river shorelines, over soft bottoms. On the Atlantic versant it lives between 0 and 500 m of elevation, but in the northern Pacific sector is found between 10 and 45 m in the Tempisque and Bebedero drainages; in the Río Tárcoles drainage, where it was probably introduced, it lives between 670 and 1220 m elevation. Inhabits shallow waters with mud or litter substrata in temperatures of 20 to 37°C. Feeds on ooze, detritus, diatoms and occasionally on filamentous algae and aquatic insects.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Phallichthys amates amates
- Phallichthys amates pittieri
- Phallichthys pittieri
- Poecilia amates
- Poecilia pittieri
- Poeciliopsis isthmensis
In other languages
- Glada Änkan, Glada änkan (djur)
- Den glade enke
- Guatemalanhammaskarppi
- Merry widow
Articles
All articles
How to set up a Central American aquarium5 min read
Hard, alkaline water, sand and rock: an aquarium from the rivers and lakes of Mexico and Central America, with cichlids and livebearers.
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.
Ich (white spot)4 min read
The most common disease in aquarium fish. How to recognize it, why it shows up, and how to get rid of it.