Nannostomus sp. CEARA RED: A new jewel from Brazil

In 2022, the company GLASER imported interesting and undoubtedly attractive fish from the Brazilian state of CEARA, which bore the previously unknown name Nannostomus sp. CEARA RED. I had the great advantage of being able to acquire a school of these little gems right from the first import. The fish belong to the Nannostomus beckfordi group. This is one of the first species of the genus Nannostomus to be scientifically described. It was discovered in 1858 from the coastal area around Demerara in Guyana. This fish was given its species name in honor of the English beekeeper and naturalist F. J. B. Beckford.

The fish occur in the eastern central Amazon basin in the Brazilian state of Pará, in the lower Rio Negro basin, but also in Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname. There they live in acidic, mineral-poor waters with extremely low values for total hardness and conductivity. In the forest streams with flowing water, they seek out not only places with stagnant water or only minimal flow, but also areas with floating plants or with leaves of submerged plants floating freely on the surface. Depending on the location and minor variations in coloration, many synonyms are known (N. anomalus, N. aripiragensis, N. simplex, N. beckfordi surinami). It is currently assumed that probably not everything that is called by the species name beckfordi is actually identical to this species. However, this new arrival comes from the northeastern territory of Brazil, where the state of Ceara is located. It is an attractive area for tourists, especially the state capital Fortaleza offers tourists many interesting sights. Temperatures here range between 25-32 °C throughout the year, which we bear in mind when creating optimal conditions for keeping and breeding.

Keeping is the same as for Nannostomus beckfordi, only this new arrival is rather shy, which is common with many imports. It is definitely not (at least not yet) one of the productive species.

For spawning I used the usual 5 liter spawning tank that I use for most tetras (20 x 15 x 15 cm). A spawning grate is essential. Of the plants, Java fern (Microsorum pteropus) is the most practical. An admixture of peat in the water is very useful. The other water parameters I used for spawning and rearing are as follows: total hardness 2 to 3°dGH, minimal carbonate hardness, conductivity 60 to 70 µS/cm. Water temperature 26 °C, pH 6.0-6.5. The pairs are placed in the spawning tank in the evening. If they are well prepared for spawning, they usually spawn the next day. However, the spawns are not very numerous, reaching about 20 eggs. The starting food is paramecium, then we add after 3-4 days - also depending on the size - artemia nauplii or fine dust food. For the food size we follow the size of the eyes of the fry, which should be comparable. After 5-6 weeks I then add fine artificial food ("S") from Dr. Gerald Bassleer.

Fig. 1: Male Nannostomus sp. CEARA RED
Fig. 2: Female Nannostomus sp. CEARA RED
Fig. 3: Spawning in a 5 liter spawning tank
Fig. 4: Nannostomus sp. CEARA RED 4 month old male
Fig. 5: Nannostomus sp. CEARA RED 6 month old male