Beckford's Pencilfish

Beckford's Pencilfish (Nannostomus beckfordi) also called the "Golden Pencilfish" are a species of small characin fish native to Swamps and slow moving rivers in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname.

Habitat

In the wild Beckford's Pencilfish inhabit swampland and slow moving river systems across their native range. They are a shoaling fish and live amongst dense vegetation to hide from predators.

Male specimens of this species are slender and more brightly coloured, showing a deeper red on their fins and bodies. Females either lack this red pigmentation, or it is much reduced, appearing silver and black across most of their bodies.

Juvenile specimens also appear similar to the adult Females, with the Male's vibrant colours forming when reaching maturity.

A comfortable temperature for these fish is between 24°C - 26°C.

Size

Our specimens currently measure approx. 3cm - 4cm

This species' maximum size typically reaches approx. 6.5cm

Aquarium

We recommend an aquarium with a minimum capacity of 40 Litres. The more fish you have, the larger the tank should be.

These are peaceful fish that do well in a community aquarium with other fish of similar size and temperament. 

Beckford's Pencilfish thrive when in a group of at least 6 fish as they are a shoaling fish, and more members of the shoal make them feeler safer and behave with more confidence.

The aquarium should be heavily planted with incorporated dense floating plants. It is of note that this fish is popular among aquascape enthusiasts for its habit of staying around the middle and top levels of the aquarium's water column.

The tank should be well established to avoid any surprise changes in water parameters that may upset or be otherwise detrimental to the fish.

Feed with small flake, micro pellet, or small frozen meaty foods such as daphnia, cyclops, and baby brineshrimp.

pH levels should fall between the 6 - 7.5 range.
Hardness should fall between 2 - 18 dGH

Behaviour

This peaceful fish gets along with most species of similar size. As with most shoaling fish, they look more impressive the bigger their shoal is. Do not keep them with anything that is too large or aggressive as they may be bullied or eaten.

It is best to keep several Females for every Male, and note that larger shoals will help to diffuse any territorial bickering. Dense plants will also offer good hiding places for them to retreat to safety.

This is a freshwater species - Do not put them in a marine / saltwater aquarium.