Photo: -serwacy01-, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
True rummy-nose tetra
Hemigrammus rhodostomus
5 cm
Adult size
80 L
Minimum volume
10
Minimum group
5 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Hemigrammus
- Diet
- omnivore
- Social life
- shoal
In the wild
Overview
This is the “true” rummy-nose tetra, now placed in the genus Petitella. The fish most often sold under this name is actually the very similar Hemigrammus bleheri, as is the “false” rummy-nose Petitella georgiae; they are told apart notably by how far the red of the head extends into the body.
- Scientific name
- Petitella rhodostoma (Ahl, 1924)Current valid name; in the hobby: Hemigrammus rhodostomus
- Classification
- Characiformes › Acestrorhamphidae
- IUCN Red List
- Not evaluated (NE)
Natural habitat
Orinoco basin and lower Amazon basin, in Venezuela and Brazil
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in blackwater rivers and tributaries, stained brown by tannins and very acidic.
Behaviour
Very peaceful, it copes poorly with boisterous or much larger companions. Keep it with other small South American fish (tetras, pencilfish, Apistogramma, Corydoras); it often accompanies discus. Keep it in a shoal. An omnivore with a small mouth: fine dry and live or frozen foods, varied for good colours.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth