Photo: Tsunamicarlos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Three-lined pencilfish
Nannostomus trifasciatus
3.5 cm
Adult size
80 L
Minimum volume
6
Minimum group
4 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Nannostomus
- Diet
- carnivore
- Social life
- small group
In the wild
Overview
This pencilfish with three dark bands and red spots on its fins is common in the trade and, less demanding than many of its cousins, makes an excellent first pencilfish. Wild fish are still regularly exported.
- Scientific name
- Nannostomus trifasciatus Steindachner, 1876
- Classification
- Characiformes › Lebiasinidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Guyana and the western Amazon basin (Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia: Negro, Madeira, Guaporé, Juruá, Napo, Ucayali...)
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in slow tributaries, small rivers and marshes rich in plants, submerged wood and leaf litter, often in flooded forest and blackwater lakes: shallow, almost motionless water, very soft, pH 4 to 6.
Behaviour
Fairly peaceful, it copes poorly with boisterous or much larger companions. Keep it with small, calm characins, Corydoras or small Loricariidae, but not with hatchetfish, calm surface swimmers, especially in a small tank. An excellent companion for dwarf cichlids. Keep it in a group. Fine dry food and small live or frozen prey every day.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth