Purple Pencilfish - Nannostomus rubrocaudatus

The Purple Pencilfish originally comes from South America, where it is mainly native to Peru. The predominantly calm fish is one of the smallest ornamental pencilfish at around 3,5 cm and can therefore be kept in a group of at least 10 animals in aquariums with an edge length of 60 cm or more. It is a beautiful looking, reddish-violet shimmering freshwater fish, which is not suitable for beginners due to its housing requirements.

Because of its calm disposition, Nannostomus rubrocaudatus "Purple" should be socialized with other calm, small fish. A socialization with very lively animals should be avoided, but bottom dwellers and armored catfish are very well suited for this.

Care should be taken to ensure that the water is nitrate-free, weakly acidic and soft. Keeping the Purple Pencilfish in a blackwater tank is ideal and you should not go without regular water changes, as this fish is quite sensitive to dirt and suboptimal water parameters.

This species feel particularly comfortable in a tank with dense vegetation, which offers enough hiding places, but also enough swimming space. Floating plants are also welcome in the aquarium, since the Purple Pencilfish is mainly found near the water surface and likes to hide between the roots of the floating plants.

These animals are...
[  ] ...bred by us
[  ] ...bred by regional breeders (AT, DE)
[  ] ...bred by international breeders (import)
[X] ...wild caught (import)