Advertisements
Aquatic Avenue Banner Tropica Shop Banner Fishy Business Banner
Results 1 to 19 of 19

Thread: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Bishan
    Posts
    764
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    69
    Country
    Singapore

    My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    Advertisements
    Fresh n Marine aQuarium Banner

    Advertise here

    Advertise here
    Got 10 of these guys instead of the coral reds as dither fish for my apistogramma tank. But man, now I can't decide who the centre of attraction is. Enjoy!

    Feeding on mysis shrimp just minutes after their release


    They love NLS pellets too






    One piece with a slight deform?


    Always on the lookout for small bugs that land on the surface
    Last edited by iwishweallcouldwin; 22nd Apr 2010 at 20:08.
    -clint- ~apisto keepers unite!~

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    163
    Feedback Score
    1 (100%)
    Country
    Singapore

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    Nice photos! Love the way it's presented. Very cute little fishes. Thanks for sharing.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Yishun
    Posts
    1,437
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    1
    Country
    Singapore

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    One of my favourite fish! Do watch out though as I've lost a few of these fully grown pencilfish to a very aggressive apisto male before. They might not be able to swim fast enough.
    chongyu

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Bishan
    Posts
    764
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    69
    Country
    Singapore

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    Quote Originally Posted by doppelbanddwarf View Post
    One of my favourite fish! Do watch out though as I've lost a few of these fully grown pencilfish to a very aggressive apisto male before. They might not be able to swim fast enough.
    Thanks for the warning chongyu! So far they seem to be hanging around the top level, while the apisto pair does not even care about their existence. But I'll continue to monitor. Like I said, now I don not know which fish I am more attracted to

    By the way, I love the way they always swim at about 45 degrees!

    Quote Originally Posted by Dean View Post
    Nice photos! Love the way it's presented. Very cute little fishes. Thanks for sharing.
    Thanks! Glad you liked them!
    -clint- ~apisto keepers unite!~

  5. #5

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    These are my favorite of all the Pencilfish.
    Your specimens are still very thin and will fill out a lot in a few more weeks,
    There may be more colorful Nannostomus species but very few are as peaceful and so long lived as N. eques. I have one old female that has been through a lot over the past 6 years but I expect she will go at most any time. They spend the majority of their lives near the surface and at that 45* angle which makes them one of my preferred dither fish in an Apistogramma breeding tank. It depends on the species of Apistogramma and the size of the tank whether or not the Apistogramma will bother them. If you provide enpugh space and some floating plants they almost always do OK.
    Their potentially very long lives is something special among the smaller Characins.
    Old fish breeder. SA Dwarf Cichlids, Hypancistrus sp L260, L333 and Peckoltia L134 breeder. Also Sturisoma, Dwarf Corydoras spp, wild Discus and Killiefish. Like breeding Characins and wild Betta spp too.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    642
    Feedback Score
    0
    Country
    Cambodia

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    Cute little snack for my Angel.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Singapore; Bishan
    Posts
    3,182
    Feedback Score
    61 (100%)
    Country
    Singapore

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    Thanks for sharing. life expectancy of 6 years. prolific

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Westside
    Posts
    450
    Feedback Score
    4 (100%)
    Country
    Singapore

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    Got 10 from clementi last week but already they've dwindled to 5!
    I do notice aggression from 2 pieces out of the group and was wondering of this is a common trait?They get pretty violent up to the point of fin nipping and eye pecking!
    Not sure if i've lost my 5 this way?Do advise


    Morphophilia : The smaller the fish, the lovelier...i'm kinky like that


  9. #9

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    The fighting is mostly ritualistic and it is very rare for any serious damage to result. The most likely cause of your losses was probably due to them being in poor condition and not related to ther mock fights.
    These fish benefit greatly from a couple weeks in quarantine and feeding small live foods like newly hatched Artemia nauplii, Daphnia and wingless fruitflies. They often arrive in very starved and poor conditions as those fish in the photos posted previously.
    Nannostomus eques are among the most peaceful of all Nannostomus spp.
    Old fish breeder. SA Dwarf Cichlids, Hypancistrus sp L260, L333 and Peckoltia L134 breeder. Also Sturisoma, Dwarf Corydoras spp, wild Discus and Killiefish. Like breeding Characins and wild Betta spp too.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Westside
    Posts
    450
    Feedback Score
    4 (100%)
    Country
    Singapore

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    Thanks for the your info apistomaster...
    Guess they were in pretty bad condition when i got them.Will try to provide ample small live foods to condition them.Mine were pretty small as compared to the wild ones that are available now.I've heard that wild ones grow a lot larger then farm bred ones,not sure if there's any basis in regards to the saying?


    Morphophilia : The smaller the fish, the lovelier...i'm kinky like that


  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    EAST
    Posts
    223
    Feedback Score
    22 (100%)
    Country
    Singapore

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    Nice Pencilfish you have.
    Maybe next time will keep some

  12. #12

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    Quote Originally Posted by aquanatix View Post
    Thanks for the your info apistomaster...
    Guess they were in pretty bad condition when i got them.Will try to provide ample small live foods to condition them.Mine were pretty small as compared to the wild ones that are available now.I've heard that wild ones grow a lot larger then farm bred ones,not sure if there's any basis in regards to the saying?
    I think the small specimens were also wild caught.
    Some batches do come in poor physical condition.
    Just a week of live newly hatched Artemia can do wonders and I would also consider treating them with an Ich medication for the first 5 days.
    The use of a small quarantine tank would solve most of your problems but if larger specimens become available I think you will have better luck with those.
    These are actually a fairly hardy species and it is unusual to loose so many.
    Once acclimated they live longer than any other species of Nannostomus I have kept although some Nannostomus beckfordi I bred and raised also lived for quite a long time. N. beckfordi is about the only species which is raised commercially. They are easily bred, a bit hard to raise but are quite colorful fish. They tend to be more aggressive, especially among themselves than N. eques but much of their aggression is ritualistic and little real damage is ever done. N. eques is a more interesting species because of the way they school together near the surface at an angle. Not all Pencifish are as surface oriented. Certainly not N. beckfordi. They explore every part of an aquarium.
    Old fish breeder. SA Dwarf Cichlids, Hypancistrus sp L260, L333 and Peckoltia L134 breeder. Also Sturisoma, Dwarf Corydoras spp, wild Discus and Killiefish. Like breeding Characins and wild Betta spp too.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Westside
    Posts
    450
    Feedback Score
    4 (100%)
    Country
    Singapore

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    Thanks for the comprehensive info apistomaster!
    Will try my luck on my next batch should i get the chance to get my hands on them.They are truly interesting fishes and as mentioned,their schooling behavior near the surface is amazing.Just hope my next batch lasts!


    Morphophilia : The smaller the fish, the lovelier...i'm kinky like that


  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Posts
    51
    Feedback Score
    2 (100%)
    Country
    Singapore

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    very interesting fish! any idea where i can get hold on some of these?

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Singapore; Bishan
    Posts
    3,182
    Feedback Score
    61 (100%)
    Country
    Singapore

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    You can get them from Wuhu

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    East
    Posts
    507
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    15
    Country
    Singapore

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    Nice, one of my favorites...but they can really jump man.
    Zack

    Planted tank: Melanotaenia Lacustris, Melanotaenia Parkinsoni, Melanotaenia Praecox,
    Glossolepis Incisus, Melanotaenia Maccullochi, Melanotaenia Boesemani, Iriatherina Werneri, Barilius Canarensis

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Bukit Merah
    Posts
    295
    Feedback Score
    0
    Country
    Singapore

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    Nice fish! If well conditioned with a variety of live and flake/frozen food, these fishes display incredible luster on their bodies! Keep us posted!
    Cheers!
    griffinkid

    Keeping | Nannostomus Eques, Pseudomugil furcatus, Sphaerichthys osphromenoides, Pseudepiplatys annulatus and Corydoras hastatus |

  18. #18

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    I finally found some N. eques on line. I ordered 25, 25 silver hatchetfish and over 100 Green Neons, P. simulans. These fish are supposed to arrive this week. I set up my 125 US gal tank as a planted display tank stocked with mostly small Characins.
    I plan to get some species of rhomboid shaped Tetra bto contrast with the Green Neons.
    I am using 25 Otocinclus, 6 Farlowella and 6 Chilodus punctatus to control algae.
    I will use some of my F1 L134 as my bottom feeders.
    I am excited about finally finding the N. eques. I haven't been able to buy any locally for 5 years.
    Old fish breeder. SA Dwarf Cichlids, Hypancistrus sp L260, L333 and Peckoltia L134 breeder. Also Sturisoma, Dwarf Corydoras spp, wild Discus and Killiefish. Like breeding Characins and wild Betta spp too.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Posts
    153
    Feedback Score
    4 (100%)
    Images
    6
    Country
    Singapore

    Re: My Nannostomus eques aka Brown Pencilfish

    Bro, May I know which online store do you get your Characins from? Thanks!

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •