Care
Wild populations of this fish are reported to be less tied to blackwater habitats than the other rummynose tetras and inhabit clearwater streams where aquatic plants, tangles of wood and leaf litter provide areas of cover.
Their aquarium should be spacious, with areas of cover to provide them with hiding places which will be used less frequently the more they settle in. As with most tetras, these are shoaling fish that are most comfortable and look their best when kept in large numbers. Unlike their commercially bred cousins, georgiae are less adaptable and should be kept in softwater that mimics their Amazonian home waters. Often appearing rather drab in bare stock tanks, these sensitive fish will only colour up when given excellent water quality. As they are peaceful shoaling fish that are at their best in large numbers, a large shoal makes an excellent dither for tankmates such as Discus which appreciate similar conditions.
After years as the sole member of their genus, recent taxonomic work has brought the other rummynoses into the genus Petitella. There’s also some suspicion that the False rummynose is actually more than one species which is likely to be confirmed by further DNA work.
Although False rummynose is well established as a common name, the rather more appropriate Flag-tailed rummynose may be used on occasion and certainly draws attention to one of the biggest distinctions between this fish and the more commonly encountered P. bleheri.
Feeding
Offer a good quality flake food and micropellets, supplemented with small frozen foods such as daphnia and mosquito larvae.
Breeding
A challenging fish to spawn. A conditioned pair should be added to a specially set up breeding aquarium which has soft water, a pH below 6.5, and plenty of live plants.
