Chela cachius, a Danionin

Danionin

The danionins are a group of small minnow-type fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae. Members of this group are mostly in the genera Danio and Devario. They are native to the fresh waters of southeast Asia. Many species are brightly coloured and are available as aquarium fish worldwide...

 known as the Neon Hatchet Fish, is one of the plainest members of the Chela genus and is rarely kept by aquarists. Its name comes from the colours that reflect off it in sunlight, but out of the glare of the sun it is a plain silver fish. Barbel

Barbel (anatomy)

A barbel on a fish is a slender, whiskerlike tactile organ near the mouth. Fish that have barbels include the catfish, the carp, the goatfish, sturgeon, the zebrafish and some species of shark...

s are not present. Endemic in South Asia, it is found in Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

 and Myanmar

Myanmar

Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....

. Like most Danionins, this fish has a tendency to jump. A tight fitting lid with no gaps is recommended for keeping them captive.

Research in 2001 by Fang Fang suggests that the genus Chela

Chela (fish)

Chela is a genus of fish closely related to Devario. It currently consists of two species.- Species :* Chela cachius * Chela khujairokensis Arunkumar, 2000...

is closely related to the Devario

Devario

The genus Devario comprises some danionins familiar to aquarists. Generally, they are larger fish than species of the genus Danio, they have short barbels , and generally have deeper bodies than Danio species, with species having vertical or horizontal stripes present...

s.

• Maximum length: 2 in (6 cm)
• Colors: silver
• Temperature preference: 22-26 Celsius
• pH preference: typically 6.8-7.5
• Hardness preference: Soft to medium
• Salinity preference: Zero
• Compatibility: Suitable for mixing with other small fish
• Life span: Typically 1 to 3 years
• Ease of keeping: Moderate
• Ease of breeding: Moderate to hard