All fish / Lebiasinidae

Twostripe Pencilfish

Nannostomus bifasciatus

Also known as two stripe pencilfish, two-striped pencilfish, whiteside pencilfish, bifasciatus pencilfish, two lined pencilfish, ナンノストムス・ビファスキアートゥス, 二线铅笔鱼

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A slim little pencilfish with two dark lines running along a pale silvery body, often with red touches on the fins. It is kept for its calm habits and looks best in a well planted, softly lit tank with floating plants. At night the stripes fade and the fish shows a blotchy pattern.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

4 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

5 to 7

Smallest tank

60 litres

Keep as

Group of 8 or more

Diet

Carnivore: small live and frozen foods such as daphnia, cyclops, artemia and bloodworm, plus fine flake

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Suriname, French Guiana and Guyana, plus parts of the lower Amazon and Rio Negro in Brazil

Breeding

An egg scatterer that lays a few eggs among fine-leaved plants, and the adults will eat them. Breeding in soft, acidic water with the eggs or parents removed is possible but yields are small.

Good to know

Its small mouth and shy nature mean it needs gentle tankmates that will not outcompete it for food. Males can squabble a little, so give plenty of cover.