Phantom Headstander

Charax condei

Fishes › Tetras, piranhas and pacus (Characiformes) › Characidae (Tetras)

Aquarium hobby

Experience: Easy

📷No free-license photo yet

FamilyTetras

Adult lengthup to 2.2 in

WaterFreshwater

Care at a glance

Species care notes

Tank: a base of at least 24 × 15 in (roughly 18 US gallons); space needed is rated “modest tank”.
Water: a fairly wide range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, 73–77 °F, pH 6–7.4, 0–20 dGH.
Behaviour: a shoaling fish best kept in a group.
Difficulty: Moderate (Seriously Fish rating).

Short excerpts from the species profile:

Setup: “A biotope setup would be very simple to arrange.”
Diet: “A micropredatory species, wild specimens are known to consume a variety of aquatic invertebrates and smaller fish.”
Tankmates: “Not an aggressive fish, but much smaller tankmates would certainly be at risk of predation.”
Breeding: “Possibly not yet achieved in captivity, although it should be possible.”

From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167

Understanding the animal

In the wild

From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Wild conditions are context, not enclosure settings.¹

Where it lives	Lives in freshwater. Uses both the bottom and open water.
Climate	Tropical climate.
Wild diet	Hunting macrofauna (predator).
Behavior to plan for	Breeding: open water/substratum egg scatterers.

FishBase species summary: Charax condei

Native climate (measured)

Warm-season highs	about 92°F (up to 96°F in the hottest sampled areas)
Cool-season lows	about 71°F (down to 68°F in the coldest sampled areas)
Average temperature	79–82°F across sampled records
Relative humidity	76–84% on average (driest month about 73%)
Rainfall	about 2457 mm a year

Measured at 79 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.

Data and studies

The numbers

Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.

Adult length

Average of sources2.2in

FishBase 1642.1

Seriously Fish species profiles 1672.2

Maximum recorded length. Measured as standard length (snout to the base of the tail, not counting the tail fin). Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.

Federal legal snapshot

No federal permit to keep

No federal law singles out this species for private keepers. State and local rules still apply.

State law decides most of it. Each state sets its own permits and bans for exotic, native, venomous and dangerous animals, and cities and counties can be stricter. Find your state agency →

Not covered by the Animal Welfare Act

The Act only covers warm-blooded animals. Reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates have no federal care standards, even at licensed facilities; state and local rules may still apply.

Kept in captivity?

Every species on this site needs evidence that people actually keep it. For this one:

Has a Seriously Fish aquarium species profile
FishBase records it in the aquarium trade (Aquarium=commercial)
2 iNaturalist observations of captive animals

Sources for this sheet

FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.