The most essential item of décor is a soft, sandy substrate so that the fish can browse naturally (see ‘Diet’).

Coarser materials such as gravel or small pebbles can inhibit feeding, damage gill filaments and even be ingested with the potential of internal damage or blockages.

Additional furnishings ar…

This species appears to be a relative ecological generalist. During a sampling trip in 1989 it was collected various habitat-types including a narrow (maximum width 3 m) stream containing shallow (maximum depth 1 m), transparent, moderate to fast-flowing water and substrate comprising gravel, mud, clay and organic debris including submerged logs. Aquatic plants consisted of water lilies and marginal vegetation was dense, comprising various trees, shrubs, grasses and ferns.