Threeline neolebias

Neolebias trilineatus

Also known as Three-lined neolebias, Three line neolebias

FreshwaterFish

Threeline neolebias (Neolebias trilineatus) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 5.5–6.8
Adult size: 1.3 in (3.3 cm)
Minimum tank: 14 gal (54 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Central Congo basin
Family: Distichodontidae

Overview

Among the more straightforward of its group, a small schooling fish for a gentle, planted tank. Keep at least eight together in the middle water; a proper school is calmer and shows better colour than a scattered few. It is peaceful and belongs with small, quiet tankmates over a mature tank with dark substrate and plenty of cover, which helps this shy fish feel safe. Feed fine foods it can manage: crushed flake, microworm, frozen cyclops, and baby brine shrimp. A planted tank of around 54 liters holds a school well.

In the wild

The threeline neolebias lives in shallow forest waters of the middle and upper Congo basin, soft and shaded and often tannin-stained. Recreate that with dense planting, driftwood, leaf litter, a dark background, and low light. Warmth of 23 to 27 degrees Celsius and gentle, acidic water at pH 5.5 to 6.8 keep it comfortable. A settled, mature tank suits this quiet, retiring fish, which grows bolder as its school grows.

Good to know

Neolebias trilineatus is a dwarf African characin of the family Distichodontidae, reaching about 3.3 centimeters. Its name means three-lined, for the pinstripes that run the length of its body, and it was described as long ago as 1899. It is a soft-water schooling fish rather than a breeder for most keepers, and its spawning is not reliably documented in aquaria.

Did you know

Its name records three neat lines running stem to stern along a fish barely longer than a paper clip is wide. Boulenger described it back in 1899, making it one of the longer-known members of this small African genus.

Tank mates

Threeline neolebias is a peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.