# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Characins >  Nannostomus trifasciatus

## benny

Hi guys,

This is my 3000th post and I shall highlight a fish that I like very much since I started keeping fishes 3 years ago.


Also known as the three stripe pencilfish, these neat characins are fairly affordable at about S$2.50 to S$4.50 a piece. They are excellent additions to any planted tanks and also make great dither fishes for dwarf cichlid setups.

Do take note that there are quite a few variants in the market and my favorite ones are these with red spots on all their fins.

Cheers,

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## joe

I like these a lot too!!! You can get them at $1 to $1.50 sometimes at LFS  :Smile:   :Smile:

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## celticfish

benny,
what are you doing up at this time?
have you been contemplating what to post for the 3000th post?  :Grin:  
happy and properous... plus many exotic fishes CNY!

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## Justikanz

Hmm... Didn't noticed my 3-lined has so many red dots... 

Joe, $1-$1.50? Where to find? These 3-lineds are very expensive leh where I see them leh... That cheap, I can get a few to accompany my lone fella...

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## benny

> I like these a lot too!!! You can get them at $1 to $1.50 sometimes at LFS


No... those costing from S$0.50 to S$1.50 are _Nannostomus beckfordi_. A totally different species, but no less attractive.

Here's another picture of them. I just love the electric blue coloration at their ventral and anal fins.


What is of interest is that when it's at rest, it changes it coloration to blend in with it's natural surroundings in the wild.


This coloration allows the fishes to hid amongs the long and tall plants by the river banks during the night.


Cheers,

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## Weirong

Sweet! If I hang around you more often, I'm going to end up with your kind of fish collection soon!

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## Justikanz

I like the blue sheen...

The night colouration is common of all pencils... There actually is a species of pencil that has the night coloration as body pattern/ Stunning! And stunning price too lah...  :Grin: 

The N. beckfordi is the golden pencil?

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## celticfish

benny,
this just might be the replacement for the red corals i'm drooling about!

thomas,
don't you ever sleep?!!

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## StanChung

ditto!

benny... do these fish shoal?

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## ranmasatome

i dont think they shoal.. not in my tanks anyway.. :Smile:  When the males get in the mood to mate they get territorial.. chasing the same species away his area..

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## StanChung

looks very nice...great pics too...

may consider for the office. some red good for feng shui...

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## celticfish

benny,
i think i just got this fish from c328 yesterday. unfortunately they have one left only. got the small solo feller for $3.
had to squint my eyes this morning to see the blue sheen on the fin.
btw how did you get the fella to change colour to the verticle striping?

oh, any idea how to tell the males from the females?

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## joe

nice catch celticfish!  :Smug:  ... did not know these guys are in already

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## celticfish

joe,
i was coming out from the back area where they had the shrimps when i caught the little guy's movement in those plastic tanks arranged vertically. where the plecos normally are.  :Grin:  

would be better if i had a half to a dozen of them. 
sightings from anyone?!?

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## joe

My necks are growing long waiting for them to be back. Biotope used to carry some very nice ones.

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## valice

Yah... Looking for them too... Anyone who spot them maybe can let us know...

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## ranmasatome

> benny,
> i think i just got this fish from c328 yesterday. unfortunately they have one left only. got the small solo feller for $3.
> had to squint my eyes this morning to see the blue sheen on the fin.
> btw how did you get the fella to change colour to the verticle striping?
> 
> oh, any idea how to tell the males from the females?


YES!! its a VERY VERY special technique that only certain people know... it has been passed down from a long time ago and now only a select few know how to make them change.. how can so easily let you know....

switch off the lights. :Smile:

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## mickthefish

ranmasatome don't be lousy tell the man. haha.
it's easy when you look at the back-ground .
mick

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## celticfish

wah peh! work stress. reservist stress. fish keeping hobby also stress!  :Crying:  

hahaha... i take it they turn colour when the lights are out?
but the picture that benny took still has the blue sheen.
generally when the lights are out the fishies go pale and the blue sheen go out.
kinda like neon or cardinals when you turn off the lights.
comments anyone?





> YES!! its a VERY VERY special technique that only certain people know... it has been passed down from a long time ago and now only a select few know how to make them change.. how can so easily let you know....
> 
> switch off the lights.

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## ranmasatome

not meant to stress you out lah... just poking some fun at you..hahaha.. relax bro.. turn off the lights then use a flash... :Smile:

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## solonavi

Nice fish. I Want!

JC

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## Justikanz

> not meant to stress you out lah... just poking some fun at you..hahaha.. relax bro.. turn off the lights then use a flash...


And then? What's the difference between the 2 sexes that can be seen when they are in the rest colouration?

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## mickthefish

ive read somewhere that females with undeveloped eggs in her ovaries has the same pattern in daylight hours, once the eggs have developed she takes on the stripes again, but normally the female is bigger than the male in depth and lenght

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## ranmasatome

mick do you recall anything about additional colouration on the males?? i seem to think i read something on it but i'm not sure if its this fish..

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## mickthefish

no mate, but i imagine the male colour to be brighter then the females,
i think the only sure way to sex them is by feeding them up over a short period, then viewing the fish from above if theres a female there you should be able to sex them, through my experience with spawnings the females stomach area will look lop sided as they carry the eggs off centre of the body.
hope you understand my explanation, it's harder to put into words than it is to show. mick

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## ranmasatome

yup..i get what you mean.. :Smile: 
i think it was N. beckfordi then...

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## valice

Benny, do they school? Or are they territorial? I read somewhere that they will bicker among themselves and set out their territory...

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## joe

They dun school but they bicker and flare at each other frequently. Thats when you see very nice colouration from these buggers.

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## valice

So will I see those activities if I only have 3 in a 2 ft tank?

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## ranmasatome

yes you will

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## Justikanz

Actually, they should school loosely... They seem to also believe in safety in numbers... My lone 3 line hand around with my golden pencils...

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## valice

How to feed them? Mine are too shy to fight with my boisterous ember tetras... Worried that they might just die of hunger... What are their favourite foods? I know they will go for freeze dried tubiflex, seen them do it... But I can't always feed that, since it is very high in fat content and the other fishes will eat more than the pencils, it is quite unhealthy...

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## Justikanz

Live tubifex! Live brineshrimp maybe... Hee...  :Grin:

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## valice

Brine shrimps? How to prepare it? After bringing it back from LFS, wash with tap water? Or must the water from the tank? Then the rest of the brineshrimp can be kept for next day?

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## Justikanz

Net them out using the fine white fish net. Run tap water over them to wash away the brine. Then feed.  :Razz: 

I think they survive for 24 hrs in fresh water. Maybe you can retain the brine and aerate the remaining brineshrimp to keep them for another 1-2days... But I am pretty sure your other fishies would gulp down the brineshrimp fast too!...

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## valice

If don't aerate can? Or will sure die?

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## Justikanz

Not sure... My fish always finish the whole pack and will be asking for more!...  :Opps:

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## benny

Those in my tank enjoy frozen bloodworms too.

Cheers,

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## valice

Thanx for the inputs guys.. I try to get BS for them tomorrow if got the time...

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## ranmasatome

I get Brine Shrimp all the time...from all sorts of weird and funny people...hahaha..

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