Two-striped Pencilfish Care Guide
Nannostomus bifasciatus is a slim pencilfish from the coastal rivers of Suriname and French Guiana, marked by two horizontal stripes.
Overview
Nannostomus bifasciatus is a slim pencilfish of the family Lebiasinidae. The specific epithet means "twice-banded", referring to the two horizontal stripes along the flanks. FishBase gives a maximum standard length of about 3.4 cm. It was described by the Dutch ichthyologist Jacobus Johannes Hoedeman in 1954.
Taxonomy
- Family: Lebiasinidae
- Genus: Nannostomus
- Scientific name: Nannostomus bifasciatus (Hoedeman, 1954)
Habitat
FishBase records the species from the coastal rivers of Suriname and French Guiana; Wikipedia adds occurrences in Amapá, Brazil, with the type locality at Berg en Dal on the Suriname River. These are tropical lowland waters on the Guiana Shield.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 60 L
- Temperature: 23-27 °C (73-81 °F)
- pH: 5.5-7.0
- GH: 1-8 °dGH (soft water)
- School size: 6 or more individuals
- Lifespan: 3-5 years
- A calm, planted tank suits this small surface fish
Diet
As with other small Nannostomus, this is a micropredator best fed small live and frozen foods such as Artemia nauplii and Moina alongside suitably sized dried preparations.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2020).