Forest halfbeak

Care at a glance

Overview

The forest halfbeak is a slender surface fish for a quiet, soft-water tank kept in a group. It is peaceful but delicate, so house it with equally gentle tankmates and avoid anything boisterous. It feeds at the top on small insects and larvae, so offer frozen and live foods like bloodworm and small crustaceans, along with a floating flake that includes some plant matter. Soft, acidic, tannin-stained water suits it, and it does not want salt. Give it a covered tank of 130 liters or larger with floating plants and calm water, since it stays near the surface and will jump.

In the wild

Hemirhamphodon pogonognathus lives in the forest streams and peat swamps of Thailand and the Sunda Islands, in soft, acidic blackwater shaded by trees. To match it, keep the water warm, between 24 and 28 C, with a low pH from about 6 to 7.5 and very little hardness. Tannins from leaf litter or wood, floating plants, subdued light and gentle flow recreate its home. This species is bound to fresh, soft water and does not occur in brackish conditions.

Good to know

The forest halfbeak is a member of the halfbeak family Zenarchopteridae and grows to about 9 cm, most of it a long, thin body tipped by an extended lower jaw. It is a livebearer: the male fertilizes the female internally using an andropodium, a modified anal fin, and she gives birth to a small number of well-developed fry. Broods are tiny and both parents and fry are sensitive to water quality, so it is a hard fish to breed with any consistency.

Did you know

The species name pogonognathus means bearded jaw, describing the small fleshy growths some males carry on the underside of the long lower beak.

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