All fish / Lebiasinidae

Twostripe Pencilfish

Nannostomus digrammus

Also known as two stripe pencilfish, two-striped pencilfish, digrammus pencilfish, pencilfish, ディグラムス, 二线铅笔鱼

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This is a small, slim pencilfish with a dark band along each side and a fainter stripe above it. Males show red patches on the fins. Keepers like it for quiet blackwater or planted tanks, where it hangs among the plants and picks at tiny food.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

3.5 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

5 to 7

Smallest tank

40 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

Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and the Rio Negro and Amazon basins of Brazil

Breeding

It scatters its eggs among fine-leaved plants and the parents will eat them, so breeders move the eggs or the adults to a separate soft, acidic tank. The fry are very small and need infusoria at first, which makes raising them fairly hard.

Good to know

Its mouth is tiny and it is shy, so keep it away from boisterous or large tankmates. It is often confused with other striped pencilfish such as N. marginatus and N. trifasciatus.