Chilatherina bleheri

Males grade from a silvery front to an orange-red rear; females are paler and slimmer.

Adult length: Up to 12 cm (standard length, without the tail fin)
Water temperature: 23–27 °C
Hardness: 8–15 dGH

Glaser recommends 22–28°C and advises against very soft or acidic water, without numerical pH or GH limits. A retailer gives 24–28°C and pH 6.5–7.8; its acidic conditions differ from Glaser’s advice and are not merged into a recommended range.

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Appearance and identification

Reviewed males show orange-red rear flanks and tails; the labelled female is silvery with yellowish fins. Sex and stage matter. The 1985 description distinguishes bleheri by smaller, more numerous scales. Along-side counts 43–50 overlap with 39–44 in its fasciata sample. Red fins and lower-front bars are not exclusive identifiers; locality and combined characters matter.

Same-species behaviour

Glaser describes a peaceful schooling fish; Interaquaristik recommends 8–10. This remains attributed advice pending independent review, not a compatibility guarantee.

Space requirements

Interaquaristik recommends 8–10 fish and at least 120 cm length for adults, without a tank width. This remains a retailer recommendation, not a capacity rule.

Diet and feeding

Glaser reports an omnivorous diet; a species-specific food mix, portions and life-stage differences remain unverified.

Compatibility limits

Specific tankmates, juvenile shrimp and feeding-competition risks are unverified. Peaceful labels and shared temperatures do not establish compatibility.

Aquarium environment

Plant damage, shrimp risk and persistent schooling remain unverified; a planted preview is not validated husbandry.

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