Care
The Pink-tail Chalceus is known from highly-oxygenated, swiftly flowing waters throughout the Negro and Orinoco River basins. This large, streamlined, silvery characin, with its eye-catching bright pink tail, is an active species that occurs in the upper levels of the water column, and at times may be observed jumping clear of the water in pursuit of food (small fishes, insects, insect larvae etc). Pink-tail Chalceus can attain a very large size. An aquarium that is a minimum of 4ft in length is suitable for small juveniles, but before long they will require a tank at least 6" x 2" x 2" and ideally, much, much larger. Pink-tail Chalceus are a timid, shoaling species that should be maintained in groups of 6 or more in an appropriately sized aquarium. Smaller groups will not work, as the fish will squabble fiercely with one another. The aquarium itself should be sited in a quiet location where it does not receive a large amount of foot traffic going past all the time. These are very skittish fish that are easily startled, so they must be provided with many shady hiding spots within the aquarium and some very sturdy/weighty tight-fitting coverslides to prevent them from accidentally jumping out. Decor must be chosen with care as anything sharp can cause them injury whenever they decide to make a dash for cover; a sandy substrate with smooth pieces of driftwood and water-worn rocks is ideal. The aquarium should be planted with robust species (such as Anubias spp. and Java Fern) at the sides and back, leaving a generously-sized open swimming area in the centre. Some tough floating vegetation can also be grown over the calmer areas of the aquarium and will provide natural surface cover, which should help to reduce skittishness. When cleaning the aquarium, much care must be taken to ensure that the fish do not become too startled - keep hand movements slow etc. It is essential that the aquarium housing Pink-tail Chalceus is well-filtered via external canisters and very well-aerated, perhaps using additional powerheads and placing any spray-bar returns from filters just above the water line to create turbulence. These riverine fish will not cope with a build up of nitrogenous waste, so aim for high water quality at all times with partial water changes carried out on a very regular basis. Tankmates should be of similar size and temperament - good companions could include large but fairly peaceable cichlids e.g. Geophagus or Satanoperca, Leporinus, Metynnis (silver dollars), mochokid, pimelodid and loricariid catfish. Other fish that prefer to inhabit the upper levels of the aquarium are best avoided as adult C. macrolepidotus can be rather territorial. Smaller fish will be eaten. In summary, Pink-tail Chalceus are stunning fish that can live for well over 15 years in the home aquarium if their precise and somewhat demanding requirements are catered for appropriately.
Feeding
Flake, slow-sinking pellets, frozen foods such as bloodworm, white mosquito larvae, vitamin-enriched brineshrimp, Mysis shrimp etc. Larger specimens will eat krill, chopped prawns and cockles, small river shrimp etc.
Breeding
There are one or two reports of captive breeding, but details are few and far between. It goes without saying that an extremely voluminous aquarium with mature fish (around 25cm/10") would be required for any spawning attempts. Small eggs (1.5mm in diameter), numbering several thousand, are said to be scattered over bushy vegetation over the course of a few hours. Depending on temperature, the eggs should hatch within 48 hours, and the fry are free-swimming within 4 days at which point they can be offered baby brineshrimp (Artemia nauplii).
