This isn’t a especially colourful aquarium fish. Its main charm lies in its hardiness, and also the reality that it is one of the easiest Characins to breed.
It is a silvery fish, darkening to olive along the upper body; occasionally specimens are discovered that reflect very pale yellow from the body scales. A wide bluish band of colour extends from the upper edge of the gill covers to the base of the tail. It is marked with a dark sloping bar behind the head, along with a dark spot at the root of the tail. Adult aquarium species will grow to about three inch, their wild relatives to about 4 inch. These fish present no feeding issues; they’ll eat nearly any food.
The Mexican astyanax breeds in the manner of most Gharacins, but it is especially comparable to Htmigratntnus caudovittatus. A. bitnaculatus is a comparable species that’s slightly larger, but it is not fairly so simple to breed.