Nigerian yellow line tetra

Rhabdalestes septentrionalis

Also known as Northern rhabdalestes, Hemigrammopetersius septentrionalis

FreshwaterFish

Nigerian yellow line tetra (Rhabdalestes septentrionalis) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2.8 in (7 cm)
Minimum tank: 21 gal (80 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Niger and Sahelian coastal basins, West Africa
Family: Alestidae

Overview

The Nigerian yellow line tetra is a slim, quick, peaceful schooling fish that turns a tank into a set of moving pinstripes when kept in numbers, so keep a group of at least eight. It holds in open midwater and appreciates a little current and room to dart. Pair it with other calm, similarly sized community fish that will not out-muscle it at feeding time. Feed small foods: a good flake or micropellet staple plus frozen or live daphnia, brine shrimp, and finely chopped bloodworm. A tank of around 80 liters or larger gives a lively shoal the length it likes to use.

In the wild

This tetra lives across West Africa, from the Senegal and Niger rivers into smaller Sahelian and coastal drainages, in warm, soft to moderately hard flowing water. Its streams run over sand and gravel with patches of plants and wood. A tank with open swimming space, gentle flow, and some planted cover suits it. Keep it at 23 to 28 degrees Celsius and pH 6.0 to 7.5, with clean, well-oxygenated water and steady changes to match the running streams it comes from.

Good to know

Rhabdalestes septentrionalis is a slender African tetra of about 7 centimeters, glassy-bodied with a gold to silver line running along the flank. Its epithet septentrionalis is Latin for northern; Boulenger named it for being the northernmost member of its group. Some older references file it under Hemigrammopetersius, a name kept in the aliases here. There is no established aquarium breeding record, and it is presumed to be a typical egg-scatterer.

Did you know

The name septentrionalis just means northern in Latin, and it traces back to septem triones, the seven plough oxen that early Romans saw in the stars we call the Big Dipper, the group that points north.

Tank mates

Nigerian yellow line tetra is a peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.