 They are generally found at elevations less than 4900 feet, with some scattered outlying records of species above 2030 meters.The Gila longfin dace has a very wide range of water temperature preferences, being found from low and hot desert streams, to mountain brooks with extremely cold water.They also prefer brooks and streams that have sandy or gravely bottoms, typically with overhanging banks to protect them from being spotted by predators and humans.