Description
Copella arnoldi is an interesting South American fish from the pencilfish family. These small (2" or less) and peaceful fishes are valued for their use as 'dither fish', especially with Apistogramma dwarf cichlids. These chic shoalers develop colourful, extended fins with maturity. One of their most interesting features is their unique reproductive strategy; these are one of the few fishes that actually lay eggs OUTSIDE of the water. Adults will jump in pairs towards vegetation overhanging the rivers they live in, and deposit a few eggs on each leaf. When the fry hatch, they immediately fall into the river.
These are subadults, ranging from about 1-1.5".