Dwarf Pencil Fish

The Coral Red Pencilfish Nannostomus mortenthaleri is one of the most beautiful species of pencilfish. It is a fairly recent addition to the hobby and was only scientifically described in 2001. It was discovered and named by Martin Mortenthaler, the owner of the Austrian export company, Aquarium Rio Momon, in 2000. This pretty little fish was first described as a sub-species of the Dwarf Pencilfish Nannostomus marginatus but then shortly after was recognized as its own distinct species.

This pencilfish has a red body with two, strong horizontal black lines, giving it a broadly-striped appearance. It is also known as the Red Arc Pencilfish, Peruvian Red Pencilfish, and Ruby Red Pencilfish. This is one of the most beautiful characins available, yet it vies for this position with an even more recently discovered pencilfish relative, the Purple Dwarf Pencilfish Nannostomus rubrocaudatus, which was described in 2009. These two are very similar in color, but only the Coral Red Pencilfish has a white belly.

• Species -Nannostomus mortenthaleri
• Common Name – Dwarf Coral Red Pencilfish
• Origin – Brazil, Columbia, and Peru in South America
• Diet – Omnivore
• PH Range – Alkaline 6.5 – 7
• Temperature – Tropical 26-28°c
• Breed Type – egg scatterer
• Maximum Size – approximately 3cm
• Sex – Un-sexed