Pics of Distichidus Affinis (Tetra Family)

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JamisonBWolsh

I am what I am. Defender of truth!
Nov 1, 2002
967
1
18
Hawaii
These are in the family of Distichidus. The LARGEST Family of tetras. The affinis grow to a decent size so you can put them in your tank. The others in the family grow TOO large for a 60 gallon (24+ inches) Anyways, these are cool, because early in the morning they form a Large black-bluish spot on both sides of the body. Before I turn the lights on, I have watched these guys MATE!!! The only problem I found is that They LOVE to fin nip!!! Fin nipping usually stays in the group (I have 5) but once in a while I have seen bite marks in the tails of my albino tinfoils and once on my elephant nose. These guys need to be well fed to keep them from nipping!! here they are:

dist.affinis.jpg
 

JamisonBWolsh

I am what I am. Defender of truth!
Nov 1, 2002
967
1
18
Hawaii
These guys are 5 inches max and 3 inches wide I think. Not common as well. Hard to get. Im not sure if they are bred in captivity or not? I have witnessed breeding behavior in my tank. As you can see they are Dark silver and have a WHITE belly. Very kewl!
 

Serrateeth_2002

Godzilla
Nov 3, 2002
346
1
0
35
Singapore
They look like large river barbs or pure koi totally unlike those seen in ponds in terms of colour.
 
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JamisonBWolsh

I am what I am. Defender of truth!
Nov 1, 2002
967
1
18
Hawaii
sorry...but they arent. They come from africa and have NO relationship to Koi or barbs. In fact, they are closer in relationship to the common neon tetra then those in the barb or koi family.
 

Serrateeth_2002

Godzilla
Nov 3, 2002
346
1
0
35
Singapore
That's obvious isn't it,these fishes are characin while kois and barbs are cyprinids,how big is the tank?
 

Harry Tolen

Cichlid Fan
Aug 17, 2000
664
1
18
Union, WA, USA


As this one (Distichodus sexfasciatus)gets larger (in the picture it was probably about 7", now about 10" and still growing), it is losing its color. Still, it was a very attractive fish for the first few years...

Currently, I have some Distichodus decemmaculatus in a 125 gallon tank, and they are doing well. Although they are not as colorful (or large) as the other species, they do make for good conversation pieces.

All Distichodus are avid plant eaters, just for the record.

By the way, your D. affinis do not appear to be showing the characteristic red fins. Or is that just a trick of the light in your photographs?
 

JamisonBWolsh

I am what I am. Defender of truth!
Nov 1, 2002
967
1
18
Hawaii
GREAT!!! Someone that knows what IM talking about! Have you ever had dist. affinis? when they were young, they did have a tint of red on the fins, but now they dont have any red at all. I feed them flakes, brine shrimp and cichlid pellets (for plant eaters- they love this!) Mine is at 5 inches and Live in a 60 gallon tank with 3 albino tinfoils and various other fish. Is your fin nipping each other? I noticed that on 2 there is no nipped fins at all.. the other 3 has SEVERAL nipped fins in the back.They mainly nip themselves...once in a while the tinfoil barbs. Do you have ANY info on them? I cant find ANYTHING on the net (including usenet) about them. Are they RARE? In the family, these are the only smaller specimans I can find that would fit in a 60 gallon. The louloso (spelling?) and the dist. sex grow to Large for a 60 gallon.
 

Harry Tolen

Cichlid Fan
Aug 17, 2000
664
1
18
Union, WA, USA
I agree, Distichodus are great! Although I have seen D. affinis in the stores, I have never purchased any. Instead, I selected D. sexfasciatus and D. decemmaculatus. D. sexfasciatus definitely begins to lose its color after about 5 years, but I don't know about D. affinis in that regard. D. decemmaculatus stays smaller, but never develops the bright colors that the others do. Still, it's an attractive semi-schooling fish. D. lussoso is another species that I have looked at, but not purchased. They are very similar in coloration to D. sexfasciatus, with a slightly different shape. If they get to be the same size, however, I definitely don't have room for them.

How many D. affinis do you have, by the way?
 

JamisonBWolsh

I am what I am. Defender of truth!
Nov 1, 2002
967
1
18
Hawaii
I have 5 affinis. 2 of them arent nipped..the other 3 are. Im thinking maybe I have 2 females and 3 males? They all show the same faded color on the fins. There nice, I like them. esp the white bellie is interesting. Yes, those others are great fish in the dist. family, but they do get BIG. Louloso gets big like the dist. sex... except Wider in height. The affinis do school togethor when they fear something or is threatened. a really nice fish though at 5 inches max.
 

JamisonBWolsh

I am what I am. Defender of truth!
Nov 1, 2002
967
1
18
Hawaii
Let me rephrase there coloring. Yes they are dark silver...But if you lok closer you will see many shades of silver to make more of a "shimmer" I dont know reallyy how to put it. In the morning a dark blue/black circle appears on the sides. the coloring is really amazing when looking closer at them.
 
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