Black-banded Copella Care Guide
Copella nigrofasciata is a slender top-dwelling lebiasinid from northern South America, with a thin black lateral stripe; now treated as a synonym of Copella callolepis.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Copella nigrofasciata is a slender, top-dwelling fish of the family Lebiasinidae, marked by a thin black lateral stripe. It reaches roughly 4-6 cm. In recent taxonomic work the name is treated as a junior synonym of Copella callolepis, but the original name is widely used in the aquarium trade.
Taxonomy
- Family: Lebiasinidae
- Genus: Copella
- Scientific name: Copella nigrofasciata (Meinken, 1952)
- Note: now regarded as a junior synonym of Copella callolepis
Habitat
Species of Copella occur in the Amazon and Orinoco basins and in the coastal drainages of Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname and Venezuela. The fish inhabits calm, vegetation-rich waters that provide cover near the surface.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 80 L
- Temperature: 22-28 °C (72-82 °F)
- pH: 5.5-7.5
- GH: 2-12 °dGH
- School size: 6 or more individuals
- Lifespan: 3-5 years
- A well-planted, calm tank with a secure lid suits this surface fish
Diet
Copella nigrofasciata is a micropredator. It should be offered small live and frozen foods such as Daphnia, Artemia and bloodworm, with dried foods accepted as a supplement. As a surface-oriented species it favours foods taken from the upper water column.
Compatibility
This is a peaceful, gregarious top-dweller best kept in a group of six or more. It mixes well with other calm community fish such as tetras. Aggressive or boisterous tankmates should be avoided, and a secure lid is advised as Copella species can jump.
Black-banded Copella (Copella nigrofasciata) Breeding Guide
Overview
Copella nigrofasciata is a small lebiasinid characin and a relative of the splash tetras, reaching about 3.8 cm standard length in males and 3.0 cm in females (FishBase). FishBase reports that the species deposits eggs on submerged vegetation, which are guarded by the male during incubation. This places it among the conventional spawners of the genus rather than the out-of-water splash spawners.
Sexing
FishBase records that males reach a slightly larger maximum size (about 3.8 cm SL) than females (about 3.0 cm SL). Beyond this size difference, detailed sexing characters were not present in the sources opened.
Conditioning
Specific conditioning protocols were not located. FishBase lists an environmental range of pH 6.0-7.0, hardness up to 8 dH and 21-25 degrees C, which frames suitable water for maturing breeders of this freshwater, benthopelagic species.
Breeding Setup
Because eggs are placed on submerged vegetation and guarded by the male (FishBase), a planted setup providing broad submerged leaves or similar surfaces is appropriate. Wikipedia notes that most members of the genus Copella spawn in a conventional fashion among fine-leaved aquatic plants, in contrast to Copella arnoldi, which lays eggs above water.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
The documented behaviour is deposition of eggs on submerged plants followed by male guarding (FishBase). Unlike the splash-spawning Copella arnoldi, which leaps to attach eggs to overhanging leaves and then splashes water on them, C. nigrofasciata spawns conventionally underwater (Wikipedia).
Egg & Fry Care
The male guards the eggs through incubation (FishBase). Detailed hatch timing and fry-feeding schedules specific to this species were not present in the opened sources and are omitted.
Common Challenges
A frequent point of confusion is assuming all Copella splash-spawn above water; for C. nigrofasciata the documented method is submerged egg deposition with male guarding (FishBase, Wikipedia), so the setup must provide suitable submerged surfaces.