TankBud

Barred pencilfish

Nannostomus espei

FreshwaterFish

Barred pencilfish (Nannostomus espei)
SelEle-MS · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
pH
5.5–7.0
Adult size
1.2 in
3 cm
Minimum tank
15 gal
55 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Shoaling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Egg scatterer · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Lebiasinidae
Origin
Guyana

Overview

The barred pencilfish is a small, peaceful shoaling fish for a dim, planted community tank. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

Many pencilfish change their markings at night, swapping daytime bars or stripes for a different broken pattern after lights-out. It is an odd thing to catch if you peek into the tank with a dim light an hour after dark.

Caring for the barred pencilfish

Keep barred pencilfish in a tank of at least 15 gal (55 L), with plenty of planting, a dark substrate and leaf litter. A dim, tannin-stained tank brings out their color and keeps them confident.

Hold the water soft and acidic, at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C) and a pH of 5.5 to 7.0. Their mouths are tiny, so feed small foods such as micro pellets and crushed flake. Add little live or frozen items like daphnia and baby brine shrimp.

Keep them in a group of at least six, since they settle and color up better in numbers. They occupy the middle and upper water and stay peaceful, which makes them good for a quiet community or nano tank. They are egg-scattering spawners, and breeding them is moderately difficult.

Good to know

The barred pencilfish is a small pencilfish in the family Lebiasinidae, with a slim body crossed by dark angled bars. Unlike many pencilfish that wear stripes along the body, its pattern runs as a series of short bars.

In the wild

Barred pencilfish come from slow, soft blackwater habitats in Guyana. These are shaded creeks choked with plants and leaf litter, where light barely gets through.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The barred pencilfish is a peaceful, shoaling species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a barred pencilfish need?

A barred pencilfish needs at least 15 gal (55 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a barred pencilfish need?

A barred pencilfish is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 5.5–7.0.

What does a barred pencilfish eat?

A barred pencilfish has a tiny mouth, so it eats small foods such as micro pellets and crushed flake. It also takes little live or frozen items like daphnia and baby brine shrimp.

How big does a barred pencilfish get?

An adult barred pencilfish reaches about 1.2 in (3 cm).

Does a barred pencilfish need a group?

Yes. A barred pencilfish is a shoaling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does a barred pencilfish breed?

Barred pencilfish are egg-scattering spawners. Breeding them is moderately difficult.

Related species