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Common name: Red fin halfbeak / Sulawesi halfbeak
Scientific name: Nomorhamphus ebrardtii
Family: Hemirhamphidae
Origin: Indonesia, fresh and slightly brackish water
Water chemistry: Ideally pH 7 to 7.5 and moderately hard
Maximum size: Females up to 10 cm, males somewhat smaller
Minimum Tank Size: Length at least 60 cm, depth relatively unimportant
Care: Red fin halfbeaks (and halfbeaks in general) have a reputation for being delicate and difficult to keep. This is not entirely justified. Once settled in and feeding, they are hardy and tolerant of a wide range of water conditions, from slightly soft and acidic through to slightly brackish. However, they are very intolerant of sudden changes in water chemistry, to the point where large water changes can end up killing some or all of the fish. Small weekly water changes (of around 5% the tank's volume) are recommended. Floating plants are very useful as they stop these fish from jumping, and you should always keep the tank covered. In small aquaria theses fish can swim into the glass when shocked and damage themselves; putting plants along the edges of the tank will help to prevent this.
Social Behaviour: Highly aggressive towards one another regardless of sex, these fish must not be overcrowded. They do not fight to the death, but males will damage their beaks and fins, and sometimes lose some scales as well. This opens them up to possible infections such as fin rot and mouth fungus. Commercially available treatments for these diseases are safe and effective. A single male kept with multiple females is the best strategy in small aquaria. In larger tanks (100 litres or more) you may be able to keep more males if you use plants, especially floating plants, to create safe areas that allow males to avoid one another. Red fin halfbeaks are completely harmless towards other fish, though they will eat very small livebearer fry (though not usually their own). On the other hand, these fish may be bullied by aggressive species such as cichlids.
Feeding: Prefers live foods, but readily accepts frozen substitutes such as bloodworms, lobster eggs, and mysids. May take flake and free-dried foods, but if this is all you are prepared to feed them, check with your retailer that their fish are accepting them. Red fin halfbeaks prefer to eat food from the surface but will feed at other levels, sometimes even taking food from off the subtrate.
Sexing: Females larger and much more stocky, and usually have shorter beaks and less colour on the fins. Males have longer, but never curved, beaks; compare this with typical Celebes halfbeaks, Nomorhamphus liemi liemi, which have short, curved beaks. Some, but not all, males have red anal, dorsal, and caudal fins. The anal fins of the males are also modified and appear "folded", producing a structure analogous to the gonopodium of poecilid livebearers like guppies and mollies.
Breeding: Although considered moderately difficult to breed, these fish mate readily if they are looked after well and conditioned on a variety of live and frozen foods. Water chemistry is of secondary importance, though ideally it should be soft and slightly acidic. Females produce about a dozen fry after 6-8 weeks, but during gestation are very prone to stillbirths. Avoid shocking them by making sudden changes in water quality, and ensure that the fish are regularly fed on a mixed diet including live or frozen foods rather than only flake. Low temperatures (below 24 degrees-C) must also be avoided. Once the fry are born, they stay close to the surface and will hide among floating plants. The fry are around 13 mm long and will accept small live foods such as Daphnia straight away. Liquifry and powdered dry foods are not taken, at least not until the fish are at least 7 to 10 days old. The fry are best cared for in a separate tank filtered with an air-powered filter and containing water taken from the main aquarium. They are hardy and grow rapidly.
Comments: This is one of several species sold as the Celebes halfbeak, and is sometimes included in batches of Nomorhamphus liemi liemi. In contrast to that species, N. ebrardtii has a straight beak and solid red or orange dorsal, ventral, anal, and tail fins. It has no blue or black on the fins or beak. Lookalike species include N. hageni, which has orange dorsal and anal fins but orange only at the base of the tail, and N. ravnaki, which has red dorsal and tail fins but a yellow anal fin.
© Neale Monks
Scientific name: Nomorhamphus ebrardtii
Family: Hemirhamphidae
Origin: Indonesia, fresh and slightly brackish water
Water chemistry: Ideally pH 7 to 7.5 and moderately hard
Maximum size: Females up to 10 cm, males somewhat smaller
Minimum Tank Size: Length at least 60 cm, depth relatively unimportant
Care: Red fin halfbeaks (and halfbeaks in general) have a reputation for being delicate and difficult to keep. This is not entirely justified. Once settled in and feeding, they are hardy and tolerant of a wide range of water conditions, from slightly soft and acidic through to slightly brackish. However, they are very intolerant of sudden changes in water chemistry, to the point where large water changes can end up killing some or all of the fish. Small weekly water changes (of around 5% the tank's volume) are recommended. Floating plants are very useful as they stop these fish from jumping, and you should always keep the tank covered. In small aquaria theses fish can swim into the glass when shocked and damage themselves; putting plants along the edges of the tank will help to prevent this.
Social Behaviour: Highly aggressive towards one another regardless of sex, these fish must not be overcrowded. They do not fight to the death, but males will damage their beaks and fins, and sometimes lose some scales as well. This opens them up to possible infections such as fin rot and mouth fungus. Commercially available treatments for these diseases are safe and effective. A single male kept with multiple females is the best strategy in small aquaria. In larger tanks (100 litres or more) you may be able to keep more males if you use plants, especially floating plants, to create safe areas that allow males to avoid one another. Red fin halfbeaks are completely harmless towards other fish, though they will eat very small livebearer fry (though not usually their own). On the other hand, these fish may be bullied by aggressive species such as cichlids.
Feeding: Prefers live foods, but readily accepts frozen substitutes such as bloodworms, lobster eggs, and mysids. May take flake and free-dried foods, but if this is all you are prepared to feed them, check with your retailer that their fish are accepting them. Red fin halfbeaks prefer to eat food from the surface but will feed at other levels, sometimes even taking food from off the subtrate.
Sexing: Females larger and much more stocky, and usually have shorter beaks and less colour on the fins. Males have longer, but never curved, beaks; compare this with typical Celebes halfbeaks, Nomorhamphus liemi liemi, which have short, curved beaks. Some, but not all, males have red anal, dorsal, and caudal fins. The anal fins of the males are also modified and appear "folded", producing a structure analogous to the gonopodium of poecilid livebearers like guppies and mollies.
Breeding: Although considered moderately difficult to breed, these fish mate readily if they are looked after well and conditioned on a variety of live and frozen foods. Water chemistry is of secondary importance, though ideally it should be soft and slightly acidic. Females produce about a dozen fry after 6-8 weeks, but during gestation are very prone to stillbirths. Avoid shocking them by making sudden changes in water quality, and ensure that the fish are regularly fed on a mixed diet including live or frozen foods rather than only flake. Low temperatures (below 24 degrees-C) must also be avoided. Once the fry are born, they stay close to the surface and will hide among floating plants. The fry are around 13 mm long and will accept small live foods such as Daphnia straight away. Liquifry and powdered dry foods are not taken, at least not until the fish are at least 7 to 10 days old. The fry are best cared for in a separate tank filtered with an air-powered filter and containing water taken from the main aquarium. They are hardy and grow rapidly.
Comments: This is one of several species sold as the Celebes halfbeak, and is sometimes included in batches of Nomorhamphus liemi liemi. In contrast to that species, N. ebrardtii has a straight beak and solid red or orange dorsal, ventral, anal, and tail fins. It has no blue or black on the fins or beak. Lookalike species include N. hageni, which has orange dorsal and anal fins but orange only at the base of the tail, and N. ravnaki, which has red dorsal and tail fins but a yellow anal fin.
© Neale Monks
