All fish / Anostomidae

Yellow Banded Hingemouth

Synaptolaemus latofasciatus

Also known as yellow-banded hingemouth, hingemouth headstander, banded hingemouth, synaptolaemus cingulatus, yellow band headstander, シナプトラエムス・シングラートゥス

This is a slim headstander with bold black and yellow vertical bands, a small upturned mouth on a hinged jaw, and reddish tints on the head and fins. In the wild it lives in fast, clear rocky rapids and picks small animals out of crevices, and aquarists value it as a rare and striking anostomid.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

5 to 7

Smallest tank

200 litres

Keep as

Singly or in a group of 5 or more to spread squabbling

Diet

Omnivore: small invertebrates, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, sinking pellets, plus some algae and plant matter

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Orinoco and Amazon basins (Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil); upper Rio Negro and Rio Tapajós drainages

Breeding

It has not been reliably bred in home aquariums. All fish sold are wild caught.

Good to know

It needs well-oxygenated, flowing, very clean soft water and can nip at or bicker with its own kind and slow, long-finned tankmates. It is rarely imported and costly, so check the identity before you buy, as banded Anostomus species look similar.