Edit Hemigrammus boesemani

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Name

Scientific name

Hemigrammus boesemani

Described by

Not recorded

Family

Characidae

Common names

Boesman's Tetra

Photograph credits

Not recorded

Summary

Boesman's tetra, Hemigrammus boesemani, is a small characin officially recorded from Suriname, French Guiana and Peru. It favours sluggish …

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

45mm, standard length

Aquarium size

Minimum length 60 cm, Minimum depth 38 cm, Minimum height 30 cm

Water

Water conditions

Temperature 23–26°C, pH 5.5–7

Hardness

2–15dGH

Conductivity

Not recorded

Behaviour

Temperament

Peaceful

Community suitability

Not recorded

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

Not recorded

Writing

Etymology

Not written yet

Distribution

Officially recorded in Suriname, French Guiana and Peru. This distribution would however suggest that the species has either been misidentified in at least one…

Habitat

Tends to inhabit sluggish and still waters, although it's also been found in some rivers and tributaries. Either way it certainly prefers slow-flowing environm…

Aquarium size

A 60 ∗ 38 ∗ 30 cm - ~68 litres tank could house a small group of these comfortably.

Maintenance

A biotope setup would be very simple to arrange. Use a substrate of river sand and add a few driftwood branches (if you can't find driftwood of the desired sha…

Water conditions

Temperature: 23 – 26 °C pH: 5.5-7.0 Hardness: 2-15°H

Diet

Omnivorous and will accept just about anything offered. Feed a mixture of dried flakes and granules along with small live and frozen foods.

Behaviour and compatibility

It's a very peaceful species that won't compete well with very boisterous or much larger tankmates. Ideally, keep it with other South American species, such as…

Sexual dimorphism

Apparently, it can be sexed by examining the swim bladder, which is fairly visible through the translucent skin of the fish. This tapers to a point in males, b…

Reproduction

Can be bred in a similar way to other species in the genus. You'll need to set up a separate tank if you want to raise decent numbers of fry. Something around …

Can be bred in a similar way to other species in the genus. You'll need to set up a separate tank if you want to raise decent numbers of fry. Something around 18" x 10" x 10" in size is fine. This should be very dimly lit and contain clumps of fine-leaved plants such as java moss or spawning mops, to give the fish somewhere to deposit their eggs. Alternatively, you could cover the base of the tank with some kind of mesh. This should be of a large enough grade so that the eggs can fall through it, but small enough so that the adults cannot reach them. The water should be soft and acidic in the range pH 5.5-6.5, gH 1-5, with a temperature of around 26.5 – 29 °C80 – 84 °F. Filtering the water through peat is useful, as is the use of RO water. A small air-powered sponge filter bubbling away very gently is all that is needed in terms of filtration.

It can be spawned in a group, with half a dozen specimens of each sex being a good number. Condition these with plenty of small live foods and spawning should not present too many problems.

Alternatively, it can be spawned in pairs. Under this technique the fish are conditioned in male and female groups in separate tanks. When the females are noticeably full of eggs and the males are displaying their best colours, select the fattest female and best-coloured male and transfer them to the spawning tank in the evening. They should spawn the following morning.

In either situation, the adults will eat the eggs given the chance and should be removed as soon as eggs are noticed. These will hatch in 24-36 hours, with the fry becoming free swimming a 3-4 days later. They should be fed on an infusoria-type food for the first few days, until they are large enough to accept microworm or brine shrimp nauplii. The eggs and fry are light sensitive in the early stages of life and the tank should be kept in darkness if possible.

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Where does this come from?

My own experienceFor example, I've kept twelve in a planted 60 cm tank since March 2024.A website I sawFor example, an IUCN Red List assessment, a museum catalogue or a FishBase page.A paperFor example, Marshall et al. (2011), Water temperature differences in interfluvial palm swamp habitats of Paracheirodon axelrodi and P. simulans.A book, or something not onlineFor example, Tappin (2010), Rainbowfishes: their care and keeping in captivity.Something already on the pageFor example, the Behaviour and compatibility section already says this.

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DOI

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Title

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Authors

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Year

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Pages

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Anything worth adding

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Notes

This species is very rare in the hobby, and should be snapped up if seen on sale. In the past it was considered a subspecies of H. micropterus. Supposedly, it'…

References

No references

Name

Scientific name

Described by

Family

Common names

Photograph credits

Summary

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

Aquarium size

Water

Water conditions

Hardness

Conductivity

Behaviour

Temperament

Social needs

Community suitability

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

Writing

Etymology

Distribution

Habitat

Aquarium size

Maintenance

Water conditions

Diet

Behaviour and compatibility

Sexual dimorphism

Reproduction

Notes

References

References