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Mount Nimba lampeye

Rhexipanchax nimbaensis

Also known as Nimbaensis lampeye

FreshwaterFish

Mount Nimba lampeye (Rhexipanchax nimbaensis)

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–75°F
20–24°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
1.8 in
4.5 cm
Minimum tank
14 gal
54 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Egg depositor · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Procatopodidae
Origin
Mount Nimba streams, Guinea and Liberia

Overview

The Mount Nimba lampeye is a peaceful, cool-water schooling fish for an unheated room tank rather than a warm tropical community. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

The Mount Nimba lampeye lives on a biological island. The cool streams and forests of Mount Nimba shelter animals found nowhere else, including a toad that gives birth to live young.

Caring for the Mount Nimba lampeye

Keep Mount Nimba lampeyes in a group of eight or more, in a tank of at least 14 gal (54 L). Give them brisk, clean, gently flowing water that is rich in oxygen. A dark substrate and stream plants match their mountain home. Keep them only with other calm fish that share their taste for cooler conditions, and skip warm-water species.

They need genuinely cool water, at 68 to 75°F (20 to 24°C), which is cooler than most tropical tanks. Keep the water soft to neutral, at a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Small foods suit them best, such as micro pellets, fine flake and live or frozen daphnia, cyclops and baby brine shrimp.

Mount Nimba lampeyes are continuous plant spawners that lay a few eggs at a time. Breeding is moderately difficult, and the small fry need cool, clean water and tiny foods.

Good to know

The Mount Nimba lampeye, a member of Procatopodidae, is the type species of the genus Rhexipanchax. Daget described the species in 1948.

In the wild

The Mount Nimba lampeye is found only in cool, clear mountain brooks on the Nimba massif, where Guinea, Ivory Coast and Liberia meet. The massif is a small mountain range and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Mount Nimba lampeye is a peaceful, schooling 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 Mount Nimba lampeye need?

A Mount Nimba lampeye needs at least 14 gal (54 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Mount Nimba lampeye need?

A Mount Nimba lampeye is comfortable at 68–75°F (20–24°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a Mount Nimba lampeye eat?

A Mount Nimba lampeye does best on small foods, such as micro pellets and fine flake. It also takes live or frozen daphnia, cyclops and baby brine shrimp.

How big does a Mount Nimba lampeye get?

An adult Mount Nimba lampeye reaches about 1.8 in (4.5 cm).

Does a Mount Nimba lampeye need a group?

Yes. A Mount Nimba lampeye is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does a Mount Nimba lampeye breed?

Mount Nimba lampeyes spawn continuously among plants, laying a few eggs at a time. Breeding them is moderately difficult, and the small fry need cool, clean water and tiny foods.

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