Rummeynose Tetra

Current Fish Deal this week is another South American, the Rummeynose Tetra selling at only 60 pence.

Found in the Blackwater rivers and tributaries of the Orinoco and lower Amazon basin in Venezuela and Brazil these fantastic shoaling tetras make great addition to any community aquarium.

It's a very peaceful species that won't compete well with very boisterous or much larger tankmates. Ideally, keep it with other South American species, such as other Hemigrammus or Hyphessobrycon species, pencil fish, Apistogramma dwarf cichlids, Corydoras and small Loricariids. In a more general community it can be combined with smaller rasboras, barbs, Anabantoids and West African dwarf cichlids such as Pelvicachromis species. Many discus enthusiasts keep a shoal of rummy noses in their show tanks, too.

Always buy a group of at least 6 of these, preferably 10 or more. They are one of the more tightly shoaling small tetras, and will not do well if kept in insufficient numbers. Because they do shoal so closely, they actually look far more effective when maintained like this anyway.