All fish / Distichodontidae

Six-banded distichodus

Distichodus sexfasciatus

Also known as six-banded distichodus, sixbar distichodus, six bar distichodus, six-barred distichodus, banded distichodus, distichodus, ปลาหกขีด, ディスティコドゥス・セクスファスキアトゥス, ikan distichodus, 六间鱼, 六带鲮脂鲤

A deep-bodied African characin that is bright orange with six or seven broad black bars and red fins when young, fading to a duller grey-orange as it grows. It is kept for its striking juvenile colours and its sturdy, active nature in large display aquariums.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

40 cm

Temperature

22 to 26 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

1000 litres

Keep as

Singly, or as a group of 5 or more in a very large tank

Diet

Herbivore: vegetable-based pellets, algae wafers, blanched greens such as spinach, lettuce and peas, plus some live or frozen invertebrates

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 18 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Congo River basin and Lake Tanganyika; Angola, DR Congo, Zambia, Tanzania

Breeding

It has not been reliably bred in home aquariums. Fish in the trade are wild caught or produced on commercial farms using hormones.

Good to know

Small juveniles grow into fish around 40 cm or more that need a huge tank, and they will eat any aquarium plants. Adults become quarrelsome with their own kind and similar fish and may nip fins of slow tankmates.