TankBud

Sebae mono

Monodactylus sebae

Also known as African moony, Sebae moony, Striped fingerfish

BrackishSaltwaterFish

Sebae mono (Monodactylus sebae)
Ltshears · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
7.2–8.5
Adult size
7.9 in
20 cm
Minimum tank
119 gal
450 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Not reef safe
Family
Monodactylidae
Origin
Coastal West Africa: estuaries and mangrove lagoons from the Canary Islands to Angola

Overview

Keep them in a group of at least five or six, because a proper shoal is what keeps these nervous fish calm; singles and pairs hide, lose color, and squabble. A group of tall, active fish needs a big tank, on the order of 450 liters or more with real height and a long footprint. They cruise the middle and upper water column and are mostly peaceful, though bigger fish get bossy and will harass small or slow tankmates, so keep them with hardy brackish species like scats, silver scats, and archers. Hold the water hard and alkaline at a pH of 7.2 to 8.5 and 24 to 28 C, and step the salinity up slowly as they mature. Feed a varied omnivore diet with meaty frozen foods and a solid share of greens.

In the wild

Sebae monos come from the estuaries, lagoons, and mangrove-lined coasts of West Africa, from the Canary Islands down to Angola, living in tidal water that swings from nearly fresh to fully marine. Like the silver mono, the salt requirement rises with age: juveniles tolerate low brackish, but adults do best in high brackish to marine conditions, so build toward a system that can reach marine salinity. This is a very tall, diamond-shaped fish, so it needs height as well as length. Give it a large tank with alkaline hard water at a pH of 7.2 to 8.5, a temperature of 24 to 28 C, strong filtration, and plenty of open swimming room.

Good to know

This is a taller-bodied cousin of the silver mono in the family Monodactylidae, more disc-like and often measured by height rather than length. Bodies reach roughly 20 to 25 cm and can stand nearly as tall as they are long, marked with bold vertical bars through the eye and body. It is euryhaline and pelagic-spawning, so it is not bred in aquaria and stock is wild-collected as juveniles.

Did you know

Its dramatic tall shape is why hobbyists sometimes buy a single juvenile as a novelty, not realizing it wants a group and a tank that ends up closer to a reef system in salinity. A well-grown school of adults with their high, banded silver bodies is one of the more striking sights in the brackish hobby.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

Sebae mono is a mostly 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 Sebae mono need?

A Sebae mono needs at least 119 gal (450 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Sebae mono need?

A Sebae mono is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 7.2–8.5.

How big does a Sebae mono get?

An adult Sebae mono reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).

Does a Sebae mono need a group?

Yes. A Sebae mono is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

Related species