Anduze's Pencilfish Care Guide
Nannostomus anduzei is among the smallest pencilfish, a roughly 16 mm nano characin from the upper Orinoco and Rio Negro tributaries.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Nannostomus anduzei is one of the smallest known pencilfish of the family Lebiasinidae. Wikipedia reports a maximum length of only about 16 mm, with sexual maturity reached around 11 mm, making it the smallest member of its genus. It shows golden-brown coloration with a metallic gold lateral stripe and red patches on the anal and caudal fins. It was described in 1987 by Fernandez and Weitzman.
Taxonomy
- Family: Lebiasinidae
- Genus: Nannostomus
- Scientific name: Nannostomus anduzei (Fernandez & Weitzman, 1987)
Habitat
FishBase and Wikipedia place the species in the upper Orinoco and the Rio Ererê, a tributary of the Rio Negro, spanning Venezuela and northern Brazil. These are warm, soft and acidic blackwater habitats.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 40 L
- Temperature: 24-28 °C (75-82 °F)
- pH: 5.0-6.5
- GH: 1-6 °dGH (soft, acidic water)
- School size: 6 or more individuals
- Lifespan: 2-4 years
- A mature nano tank with fine live foods suits this tiny species
Diet
Given its very small mouth, Nannostomus anduzei requires correspondingly tiny foods. Microworms, freshly hatched Artemia nauplii and other small live or frozen items are appropriate, alongside finely powdered dried foods.
Compatibility
This is a very peaceful nano fish that should be kept in a group and only with equally small, gentle companions such as Boraras and pygmy Corydoras. Larger or more active fish will outcompete it for food and may stress it.
Anduze's Pencilfish (Nannostomus anduzei) Breeding Guide
Overview
Nannostomus anduzei is the smallest member of the genus, reaching only about 13-16 mm standard length, and inhabits shallow forest streams with white sand and leaf litter in the upper Orinoco basin of Venezuela (Seriously Fish). It is an egg-scattering pencilfish; Seriously Fish reports that captive breeding has been achieved, albeit rarely, with fry sometimes appearing spontaneously in densely planted, mature aquaria.
Sexing
According to Seriously Fish, males are slimmer and more brightly coloured, showing red pigmentation in the anal and caudal fins that females lack; Brazilian males additionally display extended anal fins.
Conditioning
Seriously Fish recommends conditioning adult groups together before introducing breeders to spawning containers. The maintenance range is pH 5.0-7.0, hardness 18-90 ppm and 22-28 degrees C.
Breeding Setup
Seriously Fish advises filling spawning containers with aged water and adding fine wool mops or fine-leaved plants such as Taxiphyllum. A single pair, or a group of one or two males with several females, can then be introduced to each container.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
The species scatters eggs among the fine plants or mops with no parental care (Seriously Fish). No single environmental trigger is specified; spawning follows conditioning and introduction of the breeders to suitable aged water.
Egg & Fry Care
Seriously Fish notes the adults can be removed after 2-3 days, with the first fry visible a day or two later. Initial foods are Paramecium or a proprietary dry food of 5-50 micron grade, progressing to Artemia nauplii and microworms as the fry grow.
Common Challenges
Because spawning is reported only rarely (Seriously Fish), the difficulty lies in conditioning this tiny species, providing dense fine cover for the scattered eggs, and supplying the very small first foods required by minute fry.