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Freshwater   Fishes

Diptail pencilfish
(Nannostomus eques)

Diptail pencilfish

Alternative species (click on the thumbnail to see the card)

Names

Scientific name
Nannostomus eques
Nannobrycon eques
Poecilobrycon auratus
Poecilobrycon eques

Common name
Diptail pencilfish
Brown pencilfish

Origin

what are its countries of origin?

Origin: Brazil and Amazon, Western Colombia, Guyanas
Biotope: Amazonian

Dimorphism

what are the physical differences between males and females?

The male is slimmer and the edge of his anal fin is white.

Group

Group

Lebiasinidae

Volume

what is the minimum volume for this species?

50 L / 11 imp gal / 13 US gal

Parameters

what are the water parameters for the maintenance of this fish?

T°: 23 to 28°C or 73 to 82°F
pH: 5.5 to 7
Hardness: 3 to 10°dGH

Difficulty

Difficulty

Easy

Size

what is the maximum size of this fish?

5cm (2")

Longevity

what is the average Longevity of this fish?

5 years

Living zone

in which area of the aquarium does this fish live?

Middle and Top

Individuals

sociability of the species

6

Food

How to feed the Nannostomus eques?

Food

How to feed the Nannostomus eques?

Omnivorous: all forms of small food are accepted with a preference for live prey.

Behavior

What kind of behavior does the Nannostomus eques have?

Behavior

What kind of behavior does the Nannostomus eques have?

Calm, shy and sociable, the penfish is nevertheless a very fast swimmer. Relatively passive during the day, it is active at night. It is gregarious and must be kept in schools, 10 being the ideal. This will give them greater self-confidence, be more daring and their behaviour will be more natural. It is quite rare to observe intraspecific disputes, even between rival males.

Cohabitation

Who can live with the Nannostomus eques?

Cohabitation

Who can live with the Nannostomus eques?

Pacific, however, it will not be a good choice for all community aquariums. Indeed, it is quite shy with most other species. If you still want to keep it with other fish, prefer peaceful species that do not live in the same area of the aquarium. Corydoras, Discus, Grouse, Apistogramma or Loricaridae will make good companions.

Breeding

How to breed the Nannostomus eques?

Breeding

How to breed the Nannostomus eques?

The reproduction of the penfish is quite difficult even if sometimes it has been spontaneously observed in adapted aquariums. Place one male and one female in a laying trough (20 L/4 Imp Gal/5 US Gal) with a large-leaved plant. Temperature 26/28°C (79/82°F), pH 6/6.5 and no carbonates. Spawning can last 10 hours. Eggs are deposited on the inside of the leaves. After spawning, remove the parents and leave the eggs in semi-darkness. Laying can consist of 20 to 300 eggs and incubation lasts 24 hours. The fry develop rapidly.

Fry food: artemia nauplia.

Its aquarium

Which aquarium for the Nannostomus eques?

Its aquarium

Which aquarium for the Nannostomus eques?

Specific aquarium preferable. For its well-being, opt for dark gravel and a well planted tank in the corners, leaving plenty of space for swimming on the surface. Add floating plants with long roots. For more naturalness, you can also add dried beech or oak leaves, which will have the added advantage of being a very good bacterial support and improve the water chemistry. Peat filtration is recommended. Finally, avoid strong currents and install a light current in the intermediate zone.

Good To know

Find all additional information!

Good To know

Find all additional information!

The pencil fish changes colour day/night. It becomes duller with stress or when lighting is too dim.

It always swims obliquely, head upwards, tilted at 45°. Also note that it does not tolerate variations in water parameters and pharmaceutical products.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

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