Coral Red Pencilfish

Looks how to spot one

Short, stocky scaled characin

A small, compact pencilfish with three bold dark stripes. Males glow a vivid red from the snout to the tail, with a white mark and red tip at the front of the dorsal fin. Females are plumper and lack the red body colour. At night both sexes turn much paler while the stripes stay visible.13

Personality what they are like

Peaceful toward other kinds of fish but shy because of its small size, so it suits a quiet species-focused tank or a few calm companions such as Apistogramma. Males are more spirited than most pencilfish and hold small territories, sparring with each other.13

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Active among plants in the middle and lower water, with males patrolling and displaying.1

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Needs very soft, acidic water. Suggested ranges: 24-28 C, pH 4.0-7.0, hardness 1-5 dGH. Keep water clean and stable with gentle filtration.1

Home where they are happiest

Tank of at least 90 cm length (about 81 litres) with dense planting, wood and leaf litter that break up sightlines so each male has his own space.13

Food basics what goes in the bowl

A micropredator of tiny invertebrates and zooplankton. Offer small dried foods along with live or frozen brine shrimp nauplii, moina and grindal worms.1

Company who they like around

Best in a group of 10 or more, with plenty of cover so the males can share space comfortably.1

The story where it all began

First described in 2001 as a subspecies of the dwarf pencilfish, it was raised to full species status in 2003. It is named after Martin Mortenthaler, an Austrian fish exporter who collected the first specimens.12

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Critically Endangered (assessed April 2014)2

FishBase

Described by Paepke & Arendt in 20012