Merry Widow

The merry widow is a small livebearer endemic to Central America, known in the hobby by its English name. Its yellowish-olive, semi-transparent body shows faint vertical bars, a dark band running through the eye and a dark stripe near the edge of the dorsal fin. Males stay at 3–4 cm and their gonopodium is strikingly long relative to the body; females reach 6 cm.

• 54–60 liters for a small group.
• 23–27°C, pH 7–8, moderate hardness.
• Dense plants, floating plants and gentle flow.
• 25% water change weekly.

Omnivorous. Flakes and micro granules, spirulina food, frozen brine shrimp, daphnia and cyclops. It also picks at algae and biofilm.

Peaceful and calm; males follow the females but do not wear them out. Because it can be shy, it stays in the background alongside active, dominant species. A group of 5–8 with 2 females per male and a densely planted aquarium both relieve the females and let some of the fry survive.

Good companions: platies, small rasboras, corydoras, otocinclus, dwarf shrimp, nerite snails.

Avoid: large and aggressive fish, fin-nipping barbs, large livebearers that grab food quickly.