Freshwater Fish
Rummy-Nose Tetra.
The rummy nose tetra is a beginner-friendly schooling fish whose bright red nose doubles as a built-in water-quality gauge — fading noticeably when conditions slip. Tops out around 2 inches; keep a group of six or more in a planted 20-gallon-plus tank and they move together like one fish.
We keep this species at our Erie store. Come and see it in the tanks, or call (814) 456-9445 and ask what we have in right now.
Sea Cave keeps this species. You will find these in the tanks at 660 East 14th Street in Erie. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Care level
- Beginner
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Community
- Community safe
- Adult size
- 2"
- Min tank size
- 20 gallons
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Scientific name
- Hemigrammus bleheri
Good tank mates
Peaceful and community-safe, and one of the tightest schooling fish you can keep, so it suits a calm community tank. Good companions include other small peaceful tetras, rasboras (harlequin), corydoras catfish, and peaceful gouramis. Avoid fin-nippers, much larger or aggressive fish, and anything small enough fits in its mouth or that it fits in. Keep a group of six or more so they shoal together.
Good to know
The bright red 'nose' of the rummy-nose tetra fades when water quality drops, so keepers often use its color as a built-in gauge of tank conditions.
What is in the tanks and each animal's temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
Cardinal Tetra
Shares the same soft, warm, acidic Amazon blackwater habitat and is equally peaceful, making it an ideal same-water schooling companion.
Bronze Cory
Peaceful bottom-dweller explicitly listed as a compatible South American companion; Sterbai's Cory tolerates the higher warm temperatures rummy-noses prefer.
Harlequin Rasbora
A calm, similarly sized schooling fish listed as compatible by Aquarium Source; water parameter overlap is best maintained around 76°F.
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Apistogramma (Dwarf Cichlid)
Seriously Fish explicitly lists Apistogramma dwarf cichlids as suitable companions — small, South American, and not large enough to threaten this tetra. Rummy-noses also serve as dither fish that help the shyer cichlids display natural behavior.
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Pencilfish
Seriously Fish lists pencilfish as a recommended companion; they are similarly sized, peaceful, and share the same South American soft-water biotope.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.