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How to look after
Nannostomus marginatus
Dwarf pencil fish
Eigenmann, 1909

(Other members of the genus Nannostomus)

ADULT SIZE: 4 cm

WATER CONDITIONS: Moderately soft and acidic

TEMPERATURE RANGE: 23-27 C

FOOD: Feed Nannostomus marginatus small live-foods and fine grade dried foods

DISTRIBUTION: This species comes from Guyana

AQUARIUM CARE: A readily availiable community fish that does well in planted tanks. This species fits nicely into a Amazon biotope aquarium alongside tetras such as the neon or cardinal, and larger fish such as the discus or angel fish

BREEDING: This is a typical egg scatterer and as such is best spawned over marbles to avoid predation. In a well planted and understocked aquarium young may also survive. The fry are small and need infusoria as a first food.

Have you bred Nannostomus marginatus? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?, or examine existing Nannostomus marginatus breeding reports

Nannostomus marginatus
Dwarf pencil fish

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Nannostomus marginatus
Dwarf pencil fish
breeding notes

BREEDING: This is a typical egg scatterer and as such is best spawned over marbles to avoid predation. In a well planted and understocked aquarium young may also survive. The fry are small and need infusoria as a first food.

Have you bred Nannostomus marginatus? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?

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This page summarises breeding reports provided by visitors to this site, along with some statistical analysis. Please feel free to contribute - whatever your experience! 2 breeders have filled in breeding reports, a summary of the results are shown in the graphs below. You can read the full reports here. To add details of your experiences of Nannostomus marginatus, why not fill in a Breeding and maintenance Report.
Would Nannostomus marginatus be a good addition to a community tank? Never Doubtful, only with VERY calm fish Only with species of similar size Yes, a good community fish	How would you describe the disposition of Nannostomus marginatus? Very timid Slightly timid Neutral Somewhat aggresive on occasions Very aggressive
In which water conditions do you keep these fish? Very soft and acidic Moderately soft and acidic Neutral Moderately hard and alkaline Very hard and alkaline	At what average temperature? 10-15°C 16-19°C 20-23°C 24-27°C 28°C+
	How would you describe sex ratios when breeding Nannostomus marginatus? If you are unsure please leave this question unanswered. Almost all males Somewhat male heavy Roughly equal Somewhat female heavy Almost all females
In general, how difficult is Nannostomus marginatus to keep and breed? Very easy Easy Average Difficult Very difficult	How sucessful have you been at breeding Nannostomus marginatus? Very unsucessful Fairly unsucessful Average Fairly sucessful Very sucessful

Remember, each record represents only one persons experience; if you had different results, or used different methods, please share your experiences

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Water conditions: Moderately soft and acidic	Water temperature: 24-27oC
Disposition: Active, but not aggresive	Community tank?: Yes, a good community fish
Spawning Method:	Breeding problems: none
Sex ratio:	Breeding difficulty:
Sucess:	Years Experience: 1
Other Comments:
Date this record created: 9th February 2013	Breeding date: 2013
Breeder:	Location:

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Water conditions: Very soft and acidic	Water temperature: 24-27oC
Disposition: Active, but not aggresive	Community tank?: Yes, a good community fish
Spawning Method: Peat (or similar) spawning substrate	Breeding problems: none
Sex ratio: Roughly equal	Breeding difficulty: Very easy
Sucess: Fairly sucessful	Years Experience: 3
Other Comments:
Date this record created: 21st July 2008	Breeding date: 2008
Breeder:	Location: