Six-banded Distichodus

About

The six-banded distichodus (Distichodus sexfasciatus) is the species you'll most often see representing its genus at fish stores, and unfortunately it's one of the most commonly mistreated fish in the hobby as a result. Juveniles are sold at a couple of inches long and genuinely look the part. Vivid orange and black banding with red-tinged fins makes them hard to walk past. The problem is that most buyers have no idea what they're committing to. That color and patterning fades considerably as the fish matures, and mature it will, into a fish that can push two and a half feet in length. It's found across a vast stretch of the Congo River basin, where it moves in shoals near the lower water layers of rivers and coastal lake areas, feeding opportunistically on worms, invertebrates, insects, and plant matter. In captivity, behavior can be unpredictable. Some individuals stay reasonably calm alongside large tankmates like bichirs, big characins, and catfish, while others turn increasingly aggressive as they grow. Even juveniles that shoal together peacefully can become territorial with one another over time. Captive breeding has never been documented. This is a fish for dedicated keepers with genuinely large setups, not a casual community tank purchase.