The tetras of the genus Nannostomus, called pencil fish because of their somewhat stiff swimming style reminiscent of traveling zeppelins, have been among the most popular ornamental fish for decades. They are very beautiful, usually peaceful and remain small. Three species swim at an angle with their heads up: Nannostomus eques, N. britzkii and N. unifasciatus. While N. britzkii has never been imported in numbers, the other two are commonplace in the ornamental fish market. They are extremely widespread (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana states) and occur in large numbers. However, there are distinct color differences locally. The variant of N. eques from Peru, which we present here, differs clearly by the coloration of the anal and caudal fin from the conspecifics exported from Brazil (Rio Negro drainage) (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/nannostomus-eques-and-n-unifasciatus-two-odd-birds/).
Nannostomus eques is a very peaceful species, which is always a real eye-catcher due to its unusual swimming style. You should always keep these fish in a group of 10-20 specimens, because they are very social and always stay close to conspecifics in the aquarium.
For our customers: the animals have code 271804 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
