Blue Diamond Characin

About

The Blue Diamond Characin (Alestopetersius smykalai) is a genuinely uncommon fish in the hobby, and one that rewards the keeper willing to seek it out. Native to the Imo and Niger river drainages in Nigeria, it stands apart from most of its genus, which are predominantly Congo basin fish. The species is identified by a prominent dark, roughly diamond-shaped marking on the caudal peduncle, hence the common name, along with a faint humeral spot and clean, unmarked caudal-fin lobes. It's a lively, active fish that can be a little skittish in sparse or poorly-stocked setups, so keeping a group of eight to ten individuals is strongly recommended. Males will compete with each other for status and female attention, and when they do, they show their best coloration. It's genuinely worth watching. In a roomy community aquarium, this species fits in well alongside similarly-sized peaceful companions: other alestids, comparably-scaled cyprinids, catfishes, and many cichlids are all reasonable options. Breeding has rarely been achieved in captivity; it scatters eggs with no parental involvement, and eggs and fry need to be separated promptly. Given its apparent rarity both in the wild and in the trade, it's a fish worth treating with some care.