Taxonomy & naming
Raiamas christyi was described by Boulenger in 1920 as Barilius christyi, with the type localities given as Avakubi and Kinshasa (Leopoldville) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Catalog of Fishes places it in Raiamas, family Danionidae, as Raiamas christyi (Boulenger, 1920). The name honours a collector called Christy who worked in the Congo.
Morphology
A slender, silvery, streamlined fish with a large mouth, typical of Raiamas. FishBase gives a maximum of 7 in TL for males or unsexed fish. The coppernose common name refers to colour on the snout.
Habitat
FishBase gives the range as the Congo River system, in the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. It classes the fish as benthopelagic and tropical, with a pH range of 6.5 to 7.0, dH 5 to 10 and temperature 22 to 24 C.
Feeding
The FishBase entry has no diet list for this species. Fish of the genus Raiamas are active open-water hunters that take insects at the surface and small fish.
Mating
Courtship and spawning behaviour are not recorded in the FishBase entry.
Breeding
Fecundity, egg type and spawning season are not recorded in the FishBase entry.
In the aquarium
A swift shoaling fish for a long, open tank with strong flow and a tight lid, since Raiamas jump. FishBase's 22 to 24 C, pH 6.5 to 7.0 and dH 5 to 10 give the target water. Keep a group and house with fish too large to be eaten.
Conservation
FishBase lists the species as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, assessed 16 February 2009. The Congo Basin is large and the fish is widely distributed.