Bitterling

From Nookipedia, the Animal Crossing wiki

Artwork of bitterling
Real-world info
Name: Acheilognathus melanogaster
(Japanese bitterling)

Family: Cyprinidae (carps and minnows)
Main appearances

Other appearances
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[edit]

In Animal Crossing[edit]

#10
Bitterling
"I caught a bitterling! I wonder what makes the little guy so angry..."
Bitterling
Time of year[nb 1] Dec – Feb
Time of day All day
Location River
Shadow size Tiny
Selling price  1,300 Bells
Feng shui None
Furniture size 1.0 x 1.0


In Wild World[edit]

#1

Bitterling
"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 1.0 x 1.0


In City Folk[edit]

#1

Bitterling
"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 1.0 x 1.0


In New Leaf[edit]

#1

Bitterling
"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 1.0 x 1.0


In Pocket Camp[edit]

#83

Bitterling

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 PC Map Icon.png 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 Heart PC Icon.png Friendship points


In New Horizons[edit]

#1

Bitterling
"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 1.0 x 1.0


Donating to the museum[edit]

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[edit]

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

In Wild World[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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

In City Folk[edit]

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

In New Leaf[edit]

"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[edit]

Real-world information[edit]

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[edit]

Japanese タナゴ
Tanago
Bitterling

Korean 납줄개
Napjulgae
Bitterling

Simplified Chinese 红目鲫
Hóngmùjì
Bitterling

Traditional Chinese 紅目鯽
Unknown

Russian Горчак
Gorchak
Bitterling

Dutch Bittervoorn Bitterling

German Bitterling Bitterling

European Spanish Amarguillo

European French Bouvière Bitterling

Italian Rodeo Bitterling

Notes[edit]

  1. All bugs and fish in the first-generation games can appear at a lower spawn rate up to five days before the start of their first month of availability.