True Rummynose Tetra

 Quick Care Facts

• Care Level: Easy   • Temperament: Peaceful   • Maximum Size: 2"
• Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons   • Water Conditions: 72-78° F, pH 5.5-7.0, KH 2-6
• Diet: Omnivore   • Origin: South America   • Family: Characidae
• Species: Tetras   • Aquarium Type: Community

Help Support AquariumDomain!      

• Your support keeps AquariumDomain advertisement free, lightning fast and fully optimized for both mobile and desktop browsing.

• Visit our Patreon page to learn about the exclusive benefits our Patrons receive!

The True Rummy Nose Tetra is common throughout the rivers and tributaries of the Amazon basin. They congregate in large schools that afford them a relative level of protection from larger more aggressive fish species. Rummy Nose Tetra prefer an aquarium with plenty of vegetation and/or root or other drift woods.

While an attractive fish in their own right, Rummy Nose Tetra really stand out when get in good sized groups of 8 or more individuals. A shoaling group of Rummy Nose are truly an impressive sight within the aquarium.

While often sought after by advanced aquarium hobbyists for their color and peaceful nature, Rummy Nose are also suitable for the beginning aquarium hobbyist as well. They are not picky eaters and will eat a variety of common flake and freeze dried foods available for freshwater community species.

It is important to maintain a stable water chemistry with an ideal pH being just a little on the acidic side (around 6.5 to 7.0) It is also possible, under the correct aquarium conditions, to breed True Rummy Nose Tetra within the aquarium environment.

Despite being relatively small in size, the True Rummy Nose Tetra is not very suitable for very small 3 to 5 gallon pico aquariums as they need stable water parameters, to be kept in groups of individuals and plenty of swimming room. While they are a smaller species, the streams they originate from in the wild have a large volume of water passing through them which keeps the water parameters stable.

They are also used to having plenty of room to dart in and out of the vegetation, and will appreciate having plenty of space in the home aquarium as well. A 12 gallon nano-cube or 20 gallon standard aquarium should be considered a starting point in regards to aquarium size for the this species.

Their small size and shy disposition makes them only suitable for very peaceful community aquariums that do not have semi-aggressive species like Cichlids, Catfish or aggressive Barb species. They will do well in a biotope setup, species only or when housed with only other smaller peaceful fish species.

True Rummy Nose Tetra are a shoaling species that should be kept in groups of at least 6 to 10 individuals, which will help make them more comfortable in the aquarium environment. Competition for females in the group will also bring out the males coloration and provide some interesting behavior as they compete for the females attentions.

A proper aquarium setup for housing True Rummy Nose Tetra should include a sandy substrate, plenty of vegetation and plenty of areas in the aquarium that are shaded or dimly lit. The aquarium should ideally be planted with plenty of ground cover plants and driftwood to provide hiding places and habitat that the True Rummy Nose Tetra will feel comfortable in.

Floating plants and plants that grow to the surface and then cover the surface are ideal as they filter the strong aquarium lighting and create areas within the tank that are more dimly lit. The tinted water and acidic water can be replicated by adding dried leaves, peat or products like black water extract to the aquarium to both tint and condition the water.

Decaying leaves on the bottom of the aquarium will also provide a supplemental food source, as the decomposition of the leaves will provide food for micro-organisms that the fish can then feed on.

In the wild True Rummy Nose Tetra prey on micro-foods in the form of small insects, crustaceans, worms and zooplankton. As these foods are difficult to reproduce within the home aquarium, commercial foods ranging from frozen and freeze-dried worms and daphnia to quality flake foods can be fed in their place. True Rummy Nose Tetra should ideally be fed a varied diet spread over a couple of feedings per day. Feed an amount that the fish will consume within a 3 to 5 minute period.