Vindel
Details
- Diet
- Detritivore
- Habitat
- Locke (Idris IV); invasive on Reisse (Rhetor III)
AI Overview
Compiled by AI from community sources — may be incomplete or inaccurate; verify before relying on it.
A small (max 25 cm), green-speckled detritivorous fish native to the freshwater rivers and ponds of Locke (Idris IV); famous as a hardy, low-maintenance aquarium pet that turned invasive across the UEE.
Appearance
The Vindel is a small fish reaching about 25 cm at most. It has scaleless, green-speckled skin and six tentacles growing from the front of its flattened head, which it uses to root through riverbed substrate. Its fins are blue-green: four triangular pectoral fins, a long thin dorsal fin, and matching tail (caudal) fins. Most distinctively, it has two false eyespots on its back that double as electroreceptors — they both deceive predators into mistaking its tail for its head and let it sense approaching threats through the water.
Behavior & ecology
The Vindel is a peaceful bottom-dweller, not a predator or threat. It is highly adaptable, tolerating murky and brackish water near river mouths in addition to clear freshwater. It spawns in spring and summer when water temperature reaches roughly 21-29 degrees C: males choose and guard nesting sites among rocks or plant roots, eggs hatch after about 12 Earth days, and juveniles reach sexual maturity in roughly one standard Earth year at around 15 cm. Mature fish can spawn about every three weeks, and the species can live up to 20 years. This combination of hardiness and rapid breeding is exactly what makes it ecologically dangerous when introduced to new worlds.
Where to find
The Vindel is native to Locke, a moon of (or body designated) Idris IV in UEE space. It lives in shallow freshwater rivers and ponds across essentially all climate zones except arctic regions. Because it is invasive, it has also established itself well beyond its home world — notably on Reisse (Rhetor III), where it was introduced and spread widely. Note: this is lore-level habitat, not a confirmed in-game spawn location you can fly to and find a live Vindel.
Diet
The Vindel is a detritivore, not a herbivore. It feeds on waste, detritus, and dead organic matter that collects on the bottom of rivers and ponds, burrowing through loose rock and soil with its head tentacles to find food. Its appetite for bottom waste and algae is the reason aquarists prized it as a tank-cleaning fish.
Sources:star-citizen.wikirobertsspaceindustries.comstarcitizen.tools
Loot, drops & value
There is no creature-hunting loot for the Vindel. It is described in lore as generally inedible and reportedly tasting terrible, so it is not a food or harvesting target. Its only "value" in the game is as a collectible: the Vindel was sold on the Voyager Direct web shop as a hangar item (an aquarium/decoration pet) for 1,000 UEC. There are no aUEC drops, health pools, or combat rewards associated with it.
Lore & discovery
The Vindel was discovered in 2494. Thanks to its hardiness and its habit of eating algae and waste, it became a popular, low-maintenance aquarium fish across human space. That popularity backfired: released or escaped Vindels became an invasive species in multiple ecosystems, and on Reisse (Rhetor III) they drove 11 native detritivore species to extinction before authorities intervened. As a result, releasing Vindels into the wild now carries significant fines.
Trivia
- Do not confuse the Vindel fish with the "UEES Vindel," a separate Star Citizen entry referring to a UEE ship — they share only a name. - The false-eyespot-as-electroreceptor adaptation means the fish effectively "sees" predators electrically through its tail-end markings, a double-duty defense. - It is one of several Voyager Direct hangar/aquarium novelty pets rather than a gameplay fauna creature.
Sources:starcitizen.toolsstar-citizen.wikirobertsspaceindustries.com
Some data from starcitizen.tools (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).