Name: Tetra - Rummy Nose
Brand: Brooklands
SKU: TC79
Price: 10.9 NZD
Availability: OutOfStock

Tetra - Rummy Nose

Product Details

Rummy-Nose Tetra (Hemigrammus rhodostomus / Hemigrammus bleheri)

NOT AVAILABLE TO SHIP - In-store Only

Overview: The Rummy-Nose Tetra is widely considered the undisputed king of schooling fish for the freshwater aquarium. It features a sleek, silver-to-greenish translucent body, but its popularity comes from two striking accents: a brilliant, deep-crimson cherry red face that extends past its gills, and a dramatic, high-contrast black-and-white striped tail fin. They are highly prized in the aquascaping world because their schooling instinct is incredibly tight; unlike many other tetras that scatter when they feel safe, Rummy-Noses move across the tank in a highly synchronized, unified pack.

Note on Species: There are actually three nearly identical species sold under this name: the True Rummy-Nose (H. rhodostomus), the Common Rummy-Nose (H. bleheri), and the False Rummy-Nose (Petitella georgiae). H. bleheri is the one most commonly found in stores, as its red coloration extends the furthest back onto its body.

Origins: They are native to the highly acidic, soft, tea-colored blackwater rivers and tributaries of South America, specifically the Amazon and Rio Negro river basins in Brazil and Colombia.

Personality: Rummy-Noses are peaceful, energetic, and completely non-aggressive. They are perpetual motion machines, constantly pacing back and forth across the lower and middle layers of the water column. They are incredibly social and display a beautiful group intelligence as they bank and turn together around plants and driftwood.

Care Level: Intermediate (They are highly sensitive to water quality and swings in water chemistry)
Temperament: Extremely Peaceful
Diet: Omnivore (Appreciates high-quality micro-pellets, crushed flakes, and regular servings of frozen daphnia, cyclops, or baby brine shrimp to keep their red coloration vibrant)
Max Size: 4.5 – 5 cm
Family: Characidae
Tank Size: 75 – 80 Litres minimum. (While they are small, they are fast, horizontal distance swimmers and need a long tank to run back and forth)
Temperature: 24°C – 28°C * pH: 5.5 – 7.0 (They heavily prefer soft, slightly acidic water and do not thrive in highly alkaline or hard tap water)
Should be kept in groups? Yes, strictly. They must be kept in a school of at least 6 to 8, though a group of 12 to 15+ is where their spectacular schooling behavior truly shines. If kept in numbers too low, they will stress, lose their color, and become highly skittish.

The Ultimate "Canary in a Coal Mine": Rummy-Nose Tetras possess a built-in health indicator for your aquarium. If your water quality drops, if there is a spike in ammonia/nitrites, or if the fish are highly stressed, their bright red faces will turn completely pale and washed-out grey. If you wake up and notice your Rummy-Noses have "lost their noses," it is an immediate signal to test your water parameters!