Pencilfish Golden – Red Form

Description

Temperature:21 27 C

pH:5.0 8.0, though wild fish may do best towards the lower end of this range.

Hardness:18 268 ppm; notes for wild fish as per pH.

Diet

Amicropredatorfeeding on tiny invertebrates and otherzooplanktonin nature.In theaquariumit will accept dried foods of a suitable size but should also be offered daily meals of small live and frozen fare such asArtemianauplii,Moina, grindal worm, etc.Relatively peaceful and will not compete well with very boisterous or much larger tankmates.In a community its best kept with similarly-sized, peaceful characids and smaller callichthyid or loricariid catfishes but sedate surface-dwellers such as hatchetfishes are best omitted, especially in smaller aquaria.It also makes an ideal dither fishforApistogrammaspp. and other dwarf cichlids since it tends to inhabit the middle-to-upper regions of thetank, and does not often predatefry.In a more generalcommunityset-up it can be combined with smaller rasboras, barbs, anabantoids, etc.Buy as many as possible, ideally 10 or more, as when kept in larger groups any aggression is spread between individuals plus the fish are bolder and exhibit more natural behaviour.