The Fantail Darter is one of the more common and widely distributed of the 22 species of darters reported for Ohio. They are largely absent from the Maumee drainage of northwestern Ohio and are generally scarce in the more mature entrenched streams not affected by glaciation in southeastern Ohio. They tend to inhabit the more sluggish riffles with moderate currents in water less than 18 inches deep, with substrates composed of gravel, flat rocks, and boulders. They reach their greatest levels of abundance in warm water streams and are less affected by most pollutants and siltation than other species of darters.
Fantails make an interesting addition to a freshwater aquarium.