Lebiasinidae: pencilfish and other small slow-water fish

The lebiasinids are small Neotropical fish with elongated bodies and small mouths. In the aquarium the genus Nannostomus stands out, the pencilfish: slender, striped and tiny, living in the slow, shaded, vegetation-choked waters of the Amazon, the Orinoco and the Guianas. They are sociable, shy and poor competitors for food, so they do best in large groups, in a planted tank and with calm companions. Some swim at an oblique angle, head up, and nearly all are micropredators that appreciate live or frozen food.