I’ve almost stocked my tank completely, I’m trying to under stock as much as my patience will allow to ensure the fish I’ve got have the room to grow and live long and healthy lives.
The last shoal I wanted to add was a shoal of rummy nose tetra. I purchased 5 (for £10).
Figure 1- Close up of rummy nose tetra in my tank
There are three possible types of rummy nose tetra. Hemigrammus rhodostomus, Hemigrammus bleheri and Petitella georgiae. Based on my research, I think I’ve got the most common of the three, the Hemigrammus bleheri. In my mind the most noticable difference from the other two is the lack of a mid body line.
Figure 2 – the three types of rummy nose tetra (from peteducation.com)
Figure 3 – differences explained (from peteducation.com)
My rummy nose tetra like to shoal with the cardinal tetra, which is amazing to watch when the lights are low in the room.
Another interesting feature with these fish is their red nose. It seems it is an excellent indicator of good water quality. When the red nose reaches past the gill, you know the water is in good condition. When the red starts to fade, you know you need to get the testing kit out!
Martin
