Bitterling

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New Horizons fish

Pale chub (2) →

New Horizons fish
← (80) Coelacanth	→ Pale chub (2)

Bitterling
Image gallery
Real-world info
Name: Acheilognathus melanogaster (Japanese bitterling) Family: Cyprinidae (carps and minnows)
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
Film HHD aF PC
Names in other languages  タナゴ  납줄개  Rodeo  Bitterling  红目鲫  Bouvière  Amarguillo  Bittervoorn  紅目鯽  Bouvière  Amarguillo  Горчак

The bitterling is a freshwater fish in the Animal Crossing series introduced in Doubutsu no Mori. It appears as a tiny shadow that can be found in rivers all day long. In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it can be caught from late fall into early spring.

Catch details

In Animal Crossing

#10

"I caught a bitterling! I wonder what makes the little guy so angry..."

DnM / iQue

DnM+

AC

DnMe+

Time of year	Dec – Feb
Time of day	All day
Location	River
Shadow size	Tiny
Selling price	1,300 Bells
Feng shui	None
Furniture size

In Wild World

#1

"I caught a bitterling! So small, so very bitter!"

Description	They lay their eggs in live shellfish, so they're easy to raise, but hard to breed.
Time of year	Nov – Feb
Time of day	All day
Peak times	Dec – Feb
Location	River
Shadow size	Tiny
Fish size	10 cm
Rarity	Unknown
Selling price	900 Bells
Furniture size

In City Folk

#1

"I caught a bitterling! But it's pretty sweet to me!"

Description	Easy to raise but tricky to breed, these are hard to find in the wild.
Time of year	Nov – Feb
Time of day	All day
Peak times	N/A
Location	River
Shadow size	Tiny
Fish size	About 4 in.
Rarity	Unknown
Selling price	900 Bells
Furniture size

In New Leaf

#1

"I caught a bitterling! What's it so bitter about?"

Time of year	Nov – Feb
Time of day	All day
Peak times	Dec – Feb: 4 AM – 9 PM
Location	River
Shadow size	Tiny
Fish size	8 cm
Selling price	900 Bells
Furniture size

In Pocket Camp

#83

Availability	Not currently available 2019-12-27 – 2020-03-27 2020-12-28 – 2021-03-26 2021-12-24 – 2022-03-24 2022-12-26 – 2023-03-23 2023-12-26 – 2024-03-26
Location	Lost Lure Creek
Shadow size	Tiny
Size	6.4 cm – 9.6 cm
Rarity	★
Selling price	10 Bells
Version added	Unknown
Villager gift data	Tier: 1 (Common) Rewards:  100 Bells +2 Friendship points

In New Horizons

#1

"I caught a bitterling! It's mad at me, but only a little."

Time of year	North: Nov – Mar South: May – Sep
Time of day	All day
Location	River
Shadow size	Tiny
Rarity	Common
Spawn requirement	Appears from the start of the game
Selling prices	Nook's Cranny:  900 Bells  C.J.:  1,350 Bells
Furniture size

Donating to the museum

As with all fish in the Animal Crossing series, the bitterling can be donated to the museum by talking to Blathers, who will follow the donation up with a small talk.

In Animal Crossing

"Even run-of-the-mill, common fish are valuable resources, you see. All part of the grand tapestry, wot!"

In Wild World

Blathers will say this as the fish is donated:

"I must say, I've never personally considered eating one of these before. It's so very...goldfishy... No, not particularly tasty-looking, to be sure..."

After donation, the bitterling can be found in the front tank in the first room.

In City Folk

Blathers will say this when handed the small fish:

"It's quite common for enthusiasts to keep bitterlings in the same tank as tropical fish, eh wot? Indeed, once upon a time, this fish was a popular choice for the private fishing ponds of the rich!"

It can be found swimming around in the middle-left tank in the aquarium after donation.

In New Leaf

After donating the bitterling, the following information will be displayed by its tank:

"These fish are so small, they can fit their entire body in the palm of your hand. During mating season, the male's belly turns a light orange in order to properly attract a mate. They live in rivers and lakes and deposit eggs in large bivalves where the eggs hatch and live for a while."

The bitterling can be found in the larger of the two left-hand tanks in the freshwater fish room.

In New Horizons

When donating to Blathers or selecting "Tell me about this!" in New Horizons, he will provide the following information about the fish:

"Bitterlings hide their eggs inside large bivalves—like clams—where the young can stay safe until grown. The bitterling isn't being sneaky. No, their young help keep the bivalve healthy by eating invading parasites! It's a wonderful bit of evolutionary deal making, don't you think? Each one keeping the other safe... Though eating parasites does not sound like a happy childhood... Is that why the fish is so bitter?"

Once donated to the museum, the bitterling can be found in the recessed pond in the entrance room of the fish exhibit with the soft-shelled turtle and loach.

Fishing Tourney

During a Fishing Tourney, when given a bitterling, Chip will say the following dialogue.

In City Folk

"But BOY, do bitterlings really come into their own grilled with a little salt! Nyuuuk nyuk nyuk nyuk!"

In New Leaf

"Oooh BOY. Want a little taste of heaven? Try a deep-fried bitterling. But you know me. I'm just going to eat it totally raw! YUM!"

Gallery

For more images, view this subject's gallery.

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  Animal Crossing

• 

  Animal Crossing: Wild World

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  Animal Crossing: City Folk

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  Animal Crossing: New Leaf

• 

  Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Real-world information

A real-life bitterling

The Rhodeus sericeus or "bitterling" is a harmless fish that lives in ponds, lakes, marshes, muddy and sandy pools, as well as the backwaters of rivers. It feeds mainly on plant material but has been known to feed on small insect larvae. The bitterling lays its eggs in the mantle cavity of mussels. The bitterlings can be found in central and eastern Europe, and are often seen in public aquariums, and can be bought for private aquariums. It is a low-risk fish (not under threat). There are also about 23 recognized species in this category of bitterlings. More information on this topic is available at Wikipedia.

Names in other languages

	タナゴ Tanago	Bitterling
	납줄개 Napjulgae	Bitterling
	红目鲫 Hóngmùjì	Bitterling
	紅目鯽 Unknown
	Горчак Gorchak	Bitterling
	Bittervoorn	Bitterling
	Bitterling	Bitterling
	Amarguillo
	Bouvière	Bitterling
	Rodeo	Bitterling

Notes

Pocket Camp fish

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