Rummy nose tetra

Rummy nose tetra

Hemigrammus bleheri

MAINTENANCE: EASY / CARE: EASY / REPRODUCTION: DIFFICULT / COST: REASONABLE

Its unusual colouring has given rise to this fish's common name. This species is often wrongly identified as there are two other fish also called rummy nose which strongly resemble it -Hemigrammus rhodostomus and Petitella georgiae

Map showing the River Cuiuni in Brazil.

FACT SHEET

Scientific name: Hemigrammus bleheri. Common name: Rummy nose tetra. Family: Characidae. Origin: North-west Brazil: River Cuiuni. Natural habitat: Lives under the cover of roots, plants and branches that fall in the water. Size: 4.5 cm. Sexual differences: The female is plump in appearance, the male is more brightly coloured. Behaviour: Lives in shoals, peaceful.

Poor maintenance or excessive stress can lead this little tetra to lose all its colours and pass unnoticed in an aquarium. On the other hand, efficient care will result in fish that will bring much pleasure.

In the aquarium

A 150-litre aquarium is ideal for a group of about 20 fish. The tetra's even temperament allows it to mix with companions of identical behaviour, such as the cardinals (Paracheirodon axelrodi), red phantom tetra

(Megalamphodus sweglesi), or surface swimmers of the Camegellia genus, hatchet fish. The bottom of the tank can take a couple of Papiliochromis ramirezi. Set up a decor of peat bog roots well covered in plant shoots, remembering that the rummy nose needs space to dart around. Running water from a suitable powerhead or filter is ideal for the Hemigrammus. If it is too hard, dilute with demineralized water or rainwater to bring it back to more acceptable levels. Change the water weekly; above all, do not just replace water lost through evaporation.

Feeding

As it has an equitable nature, the Hemigrammus bleheri takes to all kinds of food, but it has a marked preference for live prey, particularly daphnia and drosophilia (fruit flies). The latter are very attractive to all members of the aquarium, as they flit about on the surface of the water and awaken the fishes' hunting instinct. You will see your fish rush to the top of the aquarium to grab these little flies and descend again just as quickly to savour them.

Reproduction

Although difficult, reproduction of this species remains conceivable. Set up an aquarium of approximately 50 litres without a substratum, but prepared with a layer of Java moss 5 or 6 cm thick. Use very soft water filtered through peat and add several plants in pots to make the fish feel safe. The aquarium must be dimly lit. Choose a pair from your community aquarium: the mature females have a rounded belly while the males are slimmer and slightly smaller. During the mating display, the male circles his partner, touches her sides with his snout and finally comes up alongside her. The eggs are emitted in open water. After mating, take the parents out and darken all the panes of the aquarium with cardboard, as the eggs cannot tolerate light. Five or six days after egg laying, you can feed the fry with a fine zooplankton (small freshwater larvae and crustaceans).

An easy fish to care for, the rummy nose tetra is Ideal for Amazon aquariums

Life in the aquarium
Maintenance	In a community aquarium of minimum 150 litres for a group of 20 specimens.
pH	From 5 to 6.4.
Water hardness	4 to 10 dH
Temperature	From 25 to 28°C.
Changing the water	10% every week.
Food	Especially appreciates small live prey and accepts flakes.
Reproduction	Egg laying in open water.
Compatibility	All other small characidae.
Life expectancy	From 3 to 4 years.
Comments	This species is often confused slightly with two less colourful species.