Black buntingi (Oryzias nigrimas): how big does it get?

Up to 5 cm standard length (SL).

Black buntingi (Oryzias nigrimas): what water temperature does it need?

The atlas records 22–25 °C for this species.

Ricefish · Sulawesi ricefish · Oryzias

Oryzias nigrimas

Kottelat, 1990

Black buntingi

2 cited sourcesName checked against Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes, update of 21 Sep 2026

IUCNNEAR THREATENED

EXEWCRENVUNTLC

CARESNOT LISTED

EWCRENVUNTnot on the priority list

Type localityLake Poso, eastern shore between Tentena and Peura, Sulawesi, Indonesiaper Catalog of Fishes

Scientific size2 in5 cm standard length

Temperature72–77 °F22–25 °C

pH7.5–8.5alkaline

Depth—not recorded

DietNot documented for this species; ricefishes in general take small invertebrates and algae at or near the surface

BreedingNot documented for this species

Sexual dimorphismNot documentedNot documented for this species

PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

Oryzias nigrimas is a Lake Poso ricefish described by Kottelat in 1990 in the same paper as the egg-carrying buntingi Adrianichthys oophorus. FishBase gives a maximum of 2 in SL, and the IUCN lists it as Near Threatened.

Taxonomy & naming

Kottelat described the species in 1990 from the eastern shore of Lake Poso between Tentena and Peura, in a synopsis of the endangered Poso buntingi.

Morphology

A ricefish larger than most Oryzias; FishBase gives a maximum of 2 in SL. The name refers to dark colour.

Habitat

Lake Poso, Central Sulawesi; not known elsewhere. FishBase gives a pH range of 7.5 to 8.5, a hardness up to 18 dH and a temperature range of 22 to 25 C.

Feeding

Diet is not documented in detail.

Mating

Courtship has not been described.

Breeding

Breeding has not been documented in detail.

In the aquarium

Not kept in the hobby. FishBase describes it as difficult to maintain in aquaria.

Conservation

The IUCN Red List classes Oryzias nigrimas as Near Threatened, meaning it is close to qualifying for a threatened category. Introduced fishes and habitat change threaten the lake's endemic fauna.

Common questions

Black buntingi (Oryzias nigrimas): how big does it get?: Up to 2 in standard length (SL).
Black buntingi (Oryzias nigrimas): what water temperature does it need?: The atlas records 72–77 °F for this species.
Black buntingi (Oryzias nigrimas): what water chemistry suits it?: pH 7.5–8.5.
Black buntingi (Oryzias nigrimas): where does it come from?: It is recorded from Indonesia.

Biotope tank mates

Atlas fish recorded from the same waters, whose recorded temperature and pH ranges overlap this one’s and whose adults are within twice its size. A shortlist to research, not a stocking plan: temperament, territory and diet are not checked. Other genera only; this genus is compared below.

Adrianichthys oophorus
Shares Lake Poso · ranges overlap 75–77 °F, pH 7.5–8.5 · adults 3.5 in TL
Blackfin cling gobyStiphodon percnopterygionus
Shares Sulawesi · ranges overlap 72–77 °F, pH 7.5–8 · adults 1 in SL

Related species compared · Oryzias

Species	Adult size	Temperature	pH	Hardness	IUCN
Black buntingiOryzias nigrimasthis species	2 in SL	72–77 °F	pH 7.5–8.5	—	NT
Sharpjawed buntingiOryzias orthognathus	2.5 in TL	72–77 °F	pH 7.5–8.5	—	NT
Oryzias nebulosus	1.5 in SL	—	—	—	NT
Oryzias kalimpaaensis	2 in SL	—	—	—	NE
Oryzias polylepis	2 in SL	—	—	—	NE
Matano medakaOryzias matanensis	2 in TL	72–77 °F	pH 7.5–8.5	—	NT
Celebes medakaOryzias celebensis	2 in TL	72–86 °F	pH 8–9	—	LC
Javanese ricefishOryzias javanicus	2 in TL	72–77 °F	pH 7.5–8.5	—	LC
Towuti ricefishOryzias profundicola	2.5 in TL	72–77 °F	pH 7.5–8.5	—	NT
Marmorated medakaOryzias marmoratus	1.5 in SL	72–77 °F	pH 7.5–8.5	—	NT
Hainan medakaOryzias curvinotus	1.5 in TL	—	—	—	DD
Masapi ricefishOryzias hadiatyae	1.5 in SL	—	—	—	VU

Recorded ranges from each species’ own page; hardness is the tolerance its sources give, not a measurement of the water it lives in. See all 40 Oryzias species →

Also from Lake Poso

Sources

FishBase — Oryzias nigrimas Kottelat, 1990
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (California Academy of Sciences) — Oryzias nigrimas
Kottelat, M. (1990) Synopsis of the endangered buntingi (Osteichthyes: Adrianichthyidae and Oryziidae) of Lake Poso, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, with a new reproductive guild and descriptions of three new species. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 1: 49-67
Parenti, L.R. (2008) A phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic revision of ricefishes, Oryzias and relatives (Beloniformes, Adrianichthyidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 154: 494-610

Naming authority: Oryzias nigrimas in Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes ↗

Last reviewed 2026-10-05.

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Oryzias nigrimas. Aquarist Atlas.https://www.aquaristatlas.com/ricefish/oryzias-nigrimas/

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Where it has been recorded

2 georeferenced records (GBIF). Each point is a field observation or museum specimen — pan and zoom to explore where this species turns up. The coordinates come straight from GBIF and are often rounded or tied to the nearest town or river landing, so a dot can sit just beside the actual water rather than in it.

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