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Girardinus metallicus samec
Girardinus metallicus samica

Kingdom: Animalia / animals

Trunk: Chordata / string players

Class: Actinopterygii / arthropods

Order: Cyprinodontiformes / Toothpicks

Family: Poeciliidae  / live-bearing toothed carp

Gender:  Girardinus

Species: Girardinus metallicus (Poey, 1854)

 

 

    Basic data:

 

  • Scientific name:  Girardinus metallicus (Poey, 1854)

  • Group: Livebirds

  • Origin: Costa Rica and Cuba

  • Size: females 5 cm, males 3 cm

  • Biotope / Habitat: Inhabits ponds, lakes and streams. It prefers clear, standing or barely moving water

  • Social behavior: Peaceful, fish flocks (8 and over)

  • Diet: Omnivore (worms, insects, insect larvae, crustaceans, flakes, algae, dry food, ...)

  • Cultivation: Easy

  • Aquarium: Minimum 60 liters for a school of 8 fish

  • Decoration: Plants, stones, roots, ... (sludge-peat)

  • Temperature: 22-26 ° C

  • pH: 6.5-7.5

  • Hardness: from 9 to 19 ° dGh

  • Lifespan: 3-5 years

Girardinus metallicus

Girardinus metallicus par

Cultivation

  The Central American river biotope can be placed in a medium-sized aquarium with sand or gravel substrate. The water should be calm, clear and rich in oxygen. Dense planting of plants, including some floating plants to help calm the light. Stones, roots and similar decorative material help provide the hiding places that fish need. The species is polygamous and the ratio between males and females should be 3: 1. The fish thrives best in a row aquarium, choose your roommates carefully, a school (at least 8 fish) is mandatory, otherwise we do not count on the longevity of the fish. For good health, the temperature should never exceed 29 ° C for a long time. The nitrate content should be kept as low as possible.  Recommended water change from 20% to 30% of the aquarium volume per month.

Food

  They are omnivorous, they like to eat various flakes, micro-worms, artemia, unicellular algae, plankton, diatoms, ...

Reproduction

  Males have a characteristic long gonopod. They reproduce, like most of this family, avoid soft and acidic water. Water may contain salt (1,020-1,025). Males are very annoying to females, so it is very important that females predominate in the aquarium, 1 to 3 in favor of females. Pregnancy lasts 24 to 28 days and the young can be between 10 and 30. The young can be the prey of the parents, to preserve the litter we separate them from adult fish, in the worst case we take care of a very well planted aquarium with mosses and small-leaved plants. . The young immediately take food the size of a newly hatched artemia. They are sexually mature in three to eight weeks.

Description

  The dorsal, pectoral and caudal fins are medium long and rounded. The mouth is superior. Females have longer, deeper, more rounded bodies with a rounded pre-tail fin. Males have smaller, shorter, more laterally compressed bodies with long, pointed gonopods. The colors of the hull and head are between translucent silver, pale gold or olive color. The iridescent silver vertical diamond-shaped spots are along the side line. The dorsal fin has a black dot in the lower part. Males have a deep metallic golden sheen, making silver spots look brighter and larger than on a paler female. Singles  they have a black spot running from the mouth over the chin and stomach all the way to the end of the gonopod.

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