The fish is named in honor of German aquarist Johann Paul Arnold (1869–1952), who collected the type specimen.

[2] Worms, crustaceans and other invertebrates, particularly small insects that fall onto the surface of the water, make up the splash tetra's diet.

When he has attracted a female to this spot, the pair simultaneously leap out of the water and cling onto a low-hanging leaf with their pelvic fins for up to ten seconds.

Here the female lays a batch of six to ten eggs which are immediately fertilised by the male, before both fish fall back into the water.

The male remains close at hand, repeatedly splashing water onto the eggs to keep them damp.