Barred pencilfish
Nannostomus espei
FreshwaterFish
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
- Medium
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Lebiasinidae
- Origin
- Guyana
Overview
Keep them as a school of at least six or more; they settle and color up better in a group. They occupy the middle and upper water and stay peaceful, which makes them good for a quiet community or nano tank. Hold water at 22 to 28 C and pH 5.5 to 7. Their mouths are tiny, so feed small foods: micro pellets, crushed flake, and little live or frozen items like daphnia and baby brine shrimp.
In the wild
Barred pencilfish come from slow, soft, blackwater habitats in Guyana, the kind of shaded creek choked with plants and leaf litter where light barely gets through. Match that with soft, acidic water, a dark substrate, leaf litter, and plenty of planting. The dim, tannin-stained look brings out their color and keeps them confident.
Good to know
This is a small pencilfish in the family Lebiasinidae, reaching about 3 cm. It has a slim body crossed by dark angled bars. Unlike many pencilfish that wear stripes along the body, the espei pattern runs as a series of short bars. It is an egg-scattering spawner.
Did you know
Many pencilfish change their markings at night, swapping daytime bars or stripes for a different broken pattern after lights-out. It's an odd thing to catch if you peek into the tank with a dim light an hour after dark.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
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.
Scherer's hatchetfish
Carnegiella schereri
Freshwater1 in (2.6 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Green lace shrimp
Atyoida pilipes
Freshwater2.8 in (7 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Zebra pleco
Hypancistrus zebra
Freshwater3.1 in (8 cm) · 15 gal (55 L)79–86°F (26–30°C)
Moniliger tetra
Hyphessobrycon moniliger
Freshwater1.5 in (3.7 cm) · 15 gal (55 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
New Guinea blue-eye
Pseudomugil novaeguineae
Freshwater1.8 in (4.5 cm) · 15 gal (55 L)79–86°F (26–30°C)
Many-spotted cory
Hoplisoma polystictum
Freshwater1.6 in (4 cm) · 15 gal (55 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
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.
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.
Related species
1.2 in (3 cm)15 gal (55 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Coral red pencilfish
Nannostomus mortenthaleri
1.2 in (3 cm) · 15 gal (55 L)
1.1 in (2.8 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Least pencilfish
Nannostomus minimus
1.1 in (2.8 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)
1.3 in (3.3 cm)15 gal (55 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)Three-lined pencilfish
Nannostomus trifasciatus
1.3 in (3.3 cm) · 15 gal (55 L)
1.4 in (3.5 cm)15 gal (55 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)Hockeystick pencilfish
Nannostomus eques
1.4 in (3.5 cm) · 15 gal (55 L)
1.4 in (3.5 cm)12 gal (45 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Twostripe pencilfish
Nannostomus digrammus
1.4 in (3.5 cm) · 12 gal (45 L)
1 in (2.5 cm)12 gal (45 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)Dwarf pencilfish
Nannostomus marginatus
1 in (2.5 cm) · 12 gal (45 L)