- Common name
- Anduze's pencilfish
- Scientific name
- Nannostomus anduzei
- Category
- Freshwater fish
- Group
- Pencilfishes
- Environment
- Warm soft freshwater aquarium
- Origin
- Upper Orinoco basin in Venezuela and the Ereré River, a tributary of the Rio Negro, in Brazil
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- Up to 1.6 cm standard length
- Expected lifespan
- Multi-year; a dependable species-specific maximum was not located. Its tiny size does not make it disposable or suitable for unstable nano systems.
- Minimum housing
- At least 45 litres with gentle filtration for a group of ten or more
- Temperature
- 24–28 °C
- pH
- 5.0–7.0
- Hardness / minerals
- About 1–5 °dGH (18–90 mg/L as CaCO3)
- Salinity
- Freshwater; no routine salt addition
- Lighting
- Subdued with floating cover
- Placement / zone
- Upper and middle water among fine plants and shaded cover.
- Filtration
- Use mature biological filtration sized for the complete adult anduze's pencilfish group, with guarded intakes and accessible mechanical capture. Keep flow very gentle with sponge-protected intakes and quiet shaded zones where the fish lives, and maintain undetectable ammonia and nitrite.
- Aeration
- Maintain reliable surface agitation and oxygen exchange at all times. Increase aeration during warm weather, medication, transport recovery, heavy feeding or any sign of rapid breathing.
- Maintenance
- Perform regular matched-water changes guided by nitrate and waste, remove uneaten food and trapped detritus, clean mechanical media without disrupting the biofilter, and record feeding, body condition, respiration and aggression.
Identity and search names
Single-profile scope for Nannostomus anduzei. Preserve permanent AquaNexus ID 1333, slug anduze-s-pencilfish and route species/anduze-s-pencilfish/index.html; retain former combinations, locality labels, domestic-form names and trade names only as searchable aliases.
Search names: Anduze pencilfish, Nannostomus anduzei
Environment and housing
Use a mature planted aquarium with floating cover, dark substrate, leaf litter, gentle flow and sponge-protected intakes.
Social structure: Keep at least ten to reduce stress and display natural shoaling behaviour.
Feeding and nutrition
Feeding ecology: Minute live, frozen and prepared foods sized for a very small mouth
Feeding routine: One or two measured feeds daily unless the feeding plan states otherwise
Breeding, reproduction or spread
Species-specific reproduction is not sufficiently documented for a dependable home protocol; do not substitute generic pencilfish egg-scattering claims
Detailed care and app-ready planning
- Identity scope
- Single-profile scope for Nannostomus anduzei. Preserve permanent AquaNexus ID 1333, slug anduze-s-pencilfish and route species/anduze-s-pencilfish/index.html; retain former combinations, locality labels, domestic-form names and trade names only as searchable aliases.
- Adult size and space
- Expected adult size: Up to 1.6 cm standard length. Minimum permanent housing: At least 45 litres with gentle filtration for a group of ten or more. Plan around adult dimensions, activity, social structure, aggression, oxygen demand and waste production rather than sale size.
- Social structure
- Keep at least ten to reduce stress and display natural shoaling behaviour.
- Swimming zone or placement
- Primary zone: Upper and middle water among fine plants and shaded cover.. Keep that zone usable for movement, feeding, refuge and escape.
- Feeding ecology
- Minute live, frozen and prepared foods sized for a very small mouth
- Feeding plan
- One or two measured feeds daily unless the feeding plan states otherwise
- Water stability
- Maintain 24–28 °C; pH 5.0–7.0; hardness or minerals: About 1–5 °dGH (18–90 mg/L as CaCO3); salinity: Freshwater; no routine salt addition. Stability, oxygenation and nitrogen-cycle control matter more than chasing one exact value.
- Habitat structure
- Use a mature planted aquarium with floating cover, dark substrate, leaf litter, gentle flow and sponge-protected intakes.
- Compatibility plan
- Only with tiny peaceful soft-water species that cannot outcompete or swallow it
- Breeding or reproduction plan
- Species-specific reproduction is not sufficiently documented for a dependable home protocol; do not substitute generic pencilfish egg-scattering claims Parental care: Unknown for this species.
- Quarantine
- Quarantine new livestock in a separate cycled system for at least 30 days. Observe appetite, respiration, waste, skin, fins and behaviour; use dedicated equipment and never add transport water to the established aquarium.
- Welfare checks
- Maintain the stated adult space and social structure, verify feeding, and intervene early when injury, exclusion, weight loss, abnormal respiration or altered behaviour appears. At only 1.6 cm standard length, this fish can be starved, swallowed or drawn into an intake in an ordinary community. Use minute food, sponge-protected filtration and calm tankmates.
- Biosecurity and release
- Never release fish, fry, eggs, aquarium water, sediment, plants or live foods into drains, dams or natural waterways. Confirm current Australian import conditions and South Australian possession, trade and movement rules before acquisition or transfer.
- Main risk
- At only 1.6 cm standard length, this fish can be starved, swallowed or drawn into an intake in an ordinary community. Use minute food, sponge-protected filtration and calm tankmates.
- Adult projected load
- Project biological load from the full adult anduze's pencilfish group, adult body mass, feeding pattern, activity and social requirement rather than juvenile sale size. The direct waste load is low, but a group of at least ten requires repeated minute feeding; uneaten fine food can foul a small system quickly.
- Filtration
- Use mature biological filtration sized for the complete adult anduze's pencilfish group, with guarded intakes and accessible mechanical capture. Keep flow very gentle with sponge-protected intakes and quiet shaded zones where the fish lives, and maintain undetectable ammonia and nitrite.
- Aeration
- Maintain reliable surface agitation and oxygen exchange at all times. Increase aeration during warm weather, medication, transport recovery, heavy feeding or any sign of rapid breathing.
- Maintenance
- Perform regular matched-water changes guided by nitrate and waste, remove uneaten food and trapped detritus, clean mechanical media without disrupting the biofilter, and record feeding, body condition, respiration and aggression.
- Overridable warnings
- Non-overridable: do not accept persistent ammonia or nitrite, oxygen distress, starvation, chronic aggression or inadequate adult space. Different equipment, stocking or maintenance methods may be used only when measured water quality and adult welfare remain equivalent or better. Minute food, a true group, predator exclusion and intake protection cannot be traded away for a smaller aquarium.
Compatibility, welfare and risk
Compatibility: Only with tiny peaceful soft-water species that cannot outcompete or swallow it
Welfare: Maintain the stated adult space and social structure, verify feeding, and intervene early when injury, exclusion, weight loss, abnormal respiration or altered behaviour appears. At only 1.6 cm standard length, this fish can be starved, swallowed or drawn into an intake in an ordinary community. Use minute food, sponge-protected filtration and calm tankmates.
Main warning: At only 1.6 cm standard length, this fish can be starved, swallowed or drawn into an intake in an ordinary community. Use minute food, sponge-protected filtration and calm tankmates.
Biosecurity and release
Never release fish, fry, eggs, aquarium water, sediment, plants or live foods into drains, dams or natural waterways. Confirm current Australian import conditions and South Australian possession, trade and movement rules before acquisition or transfer.