Family: Characidae
Distribution: Hyphessobrycon albolineatum can be found in the Autana River in the Orinoco River basin, South America.
PH: 7.0 – 8.0 pH
Temperature: 23 – 26°C (73 – 79°F)
Hardness: 7 – 12 dH
Description: Hyphessobrycon albolineatum will reach a maximum length of around 2.5cm in the tank.
They are rare in the hobby and therefore information regarding specific behaviours and colours is scarce. In general, the Hyphessobrycon species are peaceful, active and perfect community tank fish. They often thrive when kept in shoals of around 6-8.
Diet: An omnivorous diet suits the Hyphessobrycon species, consisting primarily of flake foods with treats of brine shrimp and other live foods. Due to the size of Hyphessobrycon albolineatum, the food will need to be crushed or finely chopped, as their mouths are so tiny.
Breeding: The difficulty of breeding Hyphessobrycon albolineatum in aquariums is unknown, due to their rarity within the habit. However, in the wild, they will double their population in less than a year and a half; so perhaps they will be easy to breed in the tank.
You should start by separating a year old male and female into two conditioning tanks. For three weeks, feed them on insect larvae and Drosophila; then introduce them into the breeding tank. A 38L tank is more than sufficient for Hyphessobrycon albolineatum. Ensure the water has a temperature of 24 – 26°C (75 – 79°F), a pH of 5.5 – 6.5, and dH of 2 – 4. This species requires good, clean water and therefore weekly partial water changes are recommended. They should be kept in as much dark as possible. The tank requires only fine-leaved plants and soft filtration (a sponge or foam); do not use substrate.
Once introduced, the pair should spawn three days later. If they do not, repeat the conditioning process. They spawn into the leaves of the plants and should be removed immediately after otherwise they will consume the eggs. The eggs (up to 300 at a time) will hatch about two days later, with free-swimming fry appearing 2-3 days later. Feed your fry a diet of baby Brine Shrimp and micro-organisms for the first ten days, and crushed flakes after that.
Comments: Suitable for beginners upwards, Hyphessobrycon albolineatum has a high resilience to illness. They are also easy to feed.
Set up an aquarium with many plants – small-leaved – but leave room for the species to swim about. Use a dark substrate; not only do Hyphessobrycon albolineatum prefer it, but it will show off the colouration as well. Soft lighting is a must; use natural lighting and diffuse it with floating plants.
Due to their scarcity within the hobby, there is limited information available on Hyphessobrycon albolineatum. For this reason, general information pertaining to the Hyphessobrycon species has been included.
Article/Books:
Recommended Compatible Species: They should live happily with other Tetra species (particularly the Neon Tetra and Black Tetra). They also should be good tank mates with Discus, Apistogramma‘s like Apistogramma Cacatouides and Apistogramma Borelli, Corydoras Catfish (particularly Corydoras Sterbai and Corydoras aeneus) Angelfish, Clown loach, the common Guppy and Platy and most Gourami (such as the Blue Gourami and Dwarf Gourami like the Honey Gourami) Also should live happily with most Danio (particularly the Zebra Danio and Pearl Danio) and also many Killifish could make great tank mates.
Originally posted 2010-04-20 16:42:28. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Comments on this entry are closed.