Charco Palma Pupfish
Cyprinodon veronicae
A rare spring pupfish from a remote Mexican highland that challenges even dedicated keepers.
About
The Charco Palma Pupfish (Cyprinodon veronicae) comes from a remarkably specific corner of the world: the Ojo Charco Azul springs, part of the Bolsón de Sandia complex in Mexico, sitting at around 1600 meters elevation in a semiarid landscape of cacti and succulents, with cedar woodland crowding close to the water's edge. Like other pupfish, it is a small, compact fish, reaching just over two inches at most. In the wild it shares its spring habitat with dense aquatic plant growth and a muddy or loamy substrate, and the springs themselves have suffered some degradation in recent years, shifting from clear water to a murky brown condition. Unlike annual killifish, this species does not go through a dry-season diapause, so it does not require the egg-storage strategies that killifish keepers are familiar with. That said, despite being listed as a beginner-level fish in terms of size, this species is genuinely difficult to keep successfully in captivity and is better suited to a keeper with a specific interest in native spring fish conservation. If you are drawn to rare and ecologically significant small fish, it is worth researching carefully before acquiring.
Similar species
Other fish you might consider
Good tank mates
Species that tend to coexist peacefully with Charco Palma Pupfish
From the same region
Share the same natural habitat. Great for a biotope-themed tank
