# of Dwarf Pencils for 100g

[fl4ian]

I'm setting up a heavily planted 6' 100g for 3 trios of Cacautoides. The only other fish in the tank will be Nannostomus Marginatus, and I'm wondering how many I should get? Their main purpose will be as a dither.

 

[freshwaterfishfan]

I had a similar set up and I used a group of 30.

 

[fl4ian]

did you feel like that was too crowded overall or too many pencils? or did you feel like you wished you would've gotten a few more? Also, did they school and what water level did they normally swim in?

 

[Apistomaster]

I would also choose 25 to 30 N. marginatus.
They tend to use the upper 3rd of the water column and occeasinally explore the nether regions. Large groups often subdivide into severl smaller groups of 6 or so. They regroup whenever they become frightened by something.

I usually go with N. eques, partly because they are easy to find but also because they are very surface oriented and pose no threat to fry. Another thing I like about them is that they are very long lived. I only have one left out of a group I bought 5 years ago. She isn't long for this world but it has survived a move and then life in several different set ups. I lost the last male last fall.
I have never kept N. marginatus that long or any other Nannostomus species for that matter.

 

[jose_vogel]

I´ve N. eques, N. marginatus and N. mortenthaleri and I prefer N. eques for the same reasons that Apistomaster told.

Usually, I go with Pyrrhulina rachoviana (because it´s easy to find here)

 

[fl4ian]

thanks for the replies, gentlemen.

I'm not opposed to doing a split between eques and marginatus.

12 of each?? I'm sure they would get along, right?

 

[Apistomaster]

Jose, I am envious of your ability to get Pyrrhulina rachoviana. I have only had 3 just once which were mixed in with a box of Pencilfish. It turned out to be a reverse trio but I did get to witness their spawning. The male guarded eggs laid on a leaf much like Dicrossus filamentosus.

Having a group of N. marginatus and N. eques would work great but I think I would go with 20 of each. I love N. mortenthaleri but they are more demanding and have a high degree of intraspecific aggression so it is best to allow them more space than the more commonly available Nannostomus species and at about $12 each they would be expensive to buy in large groups. I had 12 for awhile but that was too many to keep in a 20H. I'll give them more room next time I try them as they are a species I would like to breed some day. They probably aren't as good a choice as an Apistogramma dither fish if for no other reason than their cost and need for very soft acid water.
Not that many Apistogramma species also do well or require similar water conditions but the majority of Apistogramma don't need quite as acid and soft water as the N. mortenthaleri prefer.

I have had a group of 24 Poeciliocharax weitzmani for about 4 months. They are also called Black Darter Tetras. They are not a typical Tetra. They have a lot in common with Apistogramma when it comes to social and breeding behaviors. They spawn in caves and males provide limited brooding care while at least guarding eggs. They only thrive on live foods and do best in water with a pH of 4.0 and 20 ppm TDS. Kind of pain to keep but specimens in excellent condition are really beautiful.

 

[freshwaterfishfan]

In my old 100 g planted I had 30 N. marginatus, 30 H. amandae and smaller schools of rummy nose and cardinals. There was a lot of schooling behavior.
I'd like to do a 8 foot long tank and have some really large schools.

 

[fl4ian]

@freshwaterfishfan - were you breeding any apistos in there? seems like a lot of activity.

@apistomaster - 20 + 20 would be o.k. and not too much activity for the apistos to feel comfortable? btw, the black darter tetra looks good. I'm suprised to know that they have such similar behaviors.

 

[wethumbs]

the houdini of pencil fish

I had a group of N. marginatus and eques in a 90gal tank. The marginatus kept disappearing from the tank. They were eventually found in the corner overflow box or living on the drip tray in the sump. You are better off with eques or bigger pencil fish if you have overflow box setup for your tank.

 

[Apistomaster]

I had a group of N. marginatus and eques in a 90gal tank. The marginatus kept disappearing from the tank. They were eventually found in the corner overflow box or living on the drip tray in the sump. You are better off with eques or bigger pencil fish if you have overflow box setup for your tank.

I handled the overflow siphon problem by cutting nylon fly screen so it wrapped around the overflow interior side. I left enough room to allow a spacer between the top of the screen and over flow.
I cut minimum size holes in the screen into which I forcefully pushed the suction cup ends throuh then stitched around the screen and suction cup ends using some Kevlar thread I buy at a fly fishing shop.