Worm-line Headstander Care Guide
Synaptolaemus cingulatus is a rarely kept headstander from the upper Orinoco, Casiquiare and upper Xingu, swimming head-down and suited to specialist setups.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Synaptolaemus cingulatus is a rarely seen headstander of the family Anostomidae. Like other anostomids it adopts a head-down swimming posture. FishBase gives a maximum length of about 8.4 cm total length. It is a specialist species seldom available in the aquarium trade.
Taxonomy
- Family: Anostomidae
- Genus: Synaptolaemus
- Scientific name: Synaptolaemus cingulatus (Myers & Fernández-Yépez, 1950)
Habitat
FishBase records the species from the upper Orinoco River, the Casiquiare channel, and the upper Xingu River basin. It is a benthopelagic, tropical freshwater fish.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 200 L
- Temperature: 24-28 °C (75-82 °F)
- pH: 5.5-7.0
- GH: 2-12 °dGH
- Group size: 4 or more individuals
- Lifespan: 5-8 years
- Provide structure such as rocks and roots for a head-down grazer
Diet
As an anostomid headstander, Synaptolaemus cingulatus is best treated as an omnivore grazing on aufwuchs and small invertebrates. A varied diet including vegetable matter and small live or frozen foods is appropriate. Detailed wild feeding data is limited.
Compatibility
This is a peaceful headstander suited to specialist, well-structured tanks. It can be kept in a small group with larger peaceful tetras. Soft-leaved plants may be grazed, so robust or artificial plants are preferable.
Worm-line Headstander (Synaptolaemus cingulatus) Breeding Guide
Overview
Synaptolaemus cingulatus is a rarely seen anostomid headstander of the Orinoco and Amazon river basins, with the type locality on the upper Orinoco River in Venezuela (Wikipedia); FishBase records its range across the upper Orinoco, Casiquiare and upper Xingu basin and a maximum length of about 8.4 cm. Taxonomically, S. cingulatus is now considered a synonym of S. latofasciatus, the genus once again being treated as monospecific (Wikipedia).
Sexing
No reliable external sexing characters for this species were present in the opened sources.
Breeding Setup
FishBase records that distinct pairs breed in densely grown, weedy places, indicating a planted environment is used for spawning. No detailed home-aquarium breeding protocol for this rare species is documented in the opened sources.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Per FishBase, the species forms distinct breeding pairs that spawn among dense weedy vegetation. Beyond this pairing-and-weed-spawning note, no specific egg or fry details were available.
Common Challenges
The species is rare in the hobby and only a general FishBase note on pairs breeding in weedy places is documented; without a detailed published protocol and given its specialist requirements, captive breeding remains effectively undocumented.