Exodon paradoxus – Bucktooth Tetra
Exodon paradoxus was first described in 1844 by Müller and Troschel. Their common name is Bucktooth Tetra. The name Exodon is derived from Greek. Exos means “outside” and odous means “teeth”. This refers to the teeth that can be seen from the outside. Their species name paradox means “weird, as opposed to expectation.” Exodon paradoxus is the only species within the genus. They are closely related to the genus Roeboides. The characin family consists of more than 145 genera and more than 1,100 species.
Synonyms: Hystricodon paradoxus, Epicyrtus exodon.
Description
With a total length of about 15 centimeters, Exodon paradox is fairly large for a characin. They usually do not reach this length in the aquarium, here they usually do not grow longer than 7,5 to 10 centimeters. There is a clear black spot on the flank and on the caudal peduncle. A yellowish iridescent line runs across the flank. The belly is whitish. The top can be gold/yellow. The back, abdominal and anal fin are red. Young animals are usually brighter than older animals, the colors fade a bit as the fish ages.
The teeth in the mouth of the Exodon paradoxus are usually clearly visible. These are frequently used against fellow aquarium residents. Silver and reflective colours in particular attract his attention. With their teeth, they pull scales and even whole pieces of meat from their victims. They are therefore not fish for a community aquarium. This aggressive species can swim very fast.
The difference between males and females is hard to see. Adult females have somewhat thicker abdomen. The dorsal and anal fins of the adult males are generally slightly extended.
Diet
The diet of Exodon paradoxus consists mainly of meaty foods. In the aquarium you can feed them with live and frozen food. Granules and flake food are also eaten.
The Aquarium
If you want to keep Exodon paradox, it is best to put it in a species aquarium. Keep them either as a couple with one male and one female or in a group. In any case, do not place too many in a too-small aquarium as they can also bite into their own kind.
The aquarium must have a minimum length of around 120 centimetres and 200 litres of water for a group of approximately 10 specimens. In a smaller aquarium, they often become cannibalistic. A group of 15 or more will be a bit quieter because aggression can be better distributed. You will need a somewhat larger aquarium of about 150 centimetres in length.
Decorate the aquarium with (filter) sand on the bottom. Plant the edges of the aquarium with fine-leafed plants but have enough swimming space in the middle. The aquarium must have a lid because they can jump reasonably well.
Breeding Exodon paradoxus – Bucktooth Tetra
The Bucktooth Tetra deposits its eggs between fine-leafed plants. Set up a fairly large aquarium of around 200 litres for breeding. Provide a generous amount of plants in which the eggs can be laid. After spawning, the parents must be removed to prevent them from eating the eggs and fry.
You can initially feed the fry with freshly hatched brine shrimp. As they grow larger, the food can be somewhat larger. Make sure you feed them several times a day. It is not excluded that hungry young Exondon paradoxus will switch to cannibalism.
Video
Author
John de Lange
Copyright images
Michael Negrini – Pisciculture d’Estalens
Resources
Seriouslyfish.com
Piranha-Fury.nl
Fishbase.org
Grote Aquariumvissen Encyclopedie.
