Three Spot Headstander

Remarks: Three spot headstanders are a schooling fish that can be found in fast flowing open waters throughout South America. We imported these from the wild as Anostomus sp. Red Band. After conducting some research, we have come to the conclusion that they are Pseudanos trimaculatus, an uncommon species with the peculiar habit of swimming in a vertical position and hovering underneath branches.

  With their small upturned mouths, they grab small insects and crustaceans out of the water column and along vertical surfaces. In the aquarium they have taken to readily eating flake foods, small crumbles, and small live foods. These fish are omnivores but lean a bit more toward an herbivorous diet. Because of this, caution should be taken if planning to house three spot headstanders with live plants. Despite being a loose schooling species, they can be aggressive toward one another unless kept in groups of 6 or more with behavior similar to that of barbs so the more the better. Three spot headstanders can be nippy towards very small fish and those with long fins but they can hold their own against medium sized cichlids such as acaras and geophagus. This makes them an excellent dither fish for larger South American cichlids.