Fire halfbeak

Hemirhamphodon kapuasensis

Also known as Kapuas halfbeak

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 4.5–6.5
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Minimum tank: 14 gal (54 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Top
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Kapuas basin blackwaters, Borneo
Family: Zenarchopteridae

Overview

A slender surface halfbeak, the males lit with red, that hangs near the top waiting for prey. Keep it as a small group with more females than males, as males display and spar along the surface. It is peaceful and suits calm tankmates that stay lower in the tank, with nothing large or hurried to unsettle it at the top. Feed small floating and surface foods: fruit flies, mosquito larvae, small live and frozen insects, daphnia and fine floating dried foods. It comes from soft, acidic forest streams, so give it a planted, well-covered tank of around 54 liters with gentle flow and dim, tannin-tinted water.

In the wild

The fire halfbeak lives in the forest streams of the Kapuas basin in West Kalimantan, Borneo, soft, acidic, tea-stained water with a gentle current. Match that with warm water, about 23 to 27 C, and soft, acidic conditions around pH 4.5 to 6.5. Driftwood, leaf litter, floating plants and dim light recreate its blackwater home, while gentle flow and clean water keep it in condition.

Good to know

Hemirhamphodon kapuasensis is a halfbeak of the family Zenarchopteridae, reaching about 5 to 6 centimeters, marked by an irregular red stripe running along the flank from behind the eye to the tail. It is a surface insectivore of flowing forest streams. It bears live young rather than laying eggs, and breeding is of moderate difficulty.

Did you know

Most fish that patrol the water surface scatter eggs, but the beaked Hemirhamphodon do something rare among them: they carry and give birth to live, fully formed young, only a handful at a time.