Wrestling halfbeak care
Dermogenys pusilla · Fresh and brackish rivers and coasts of Southeast Asia: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo and Java
Wrestling halfbeaks are slim surface fish with a long lower jaw; males lock jaws and wrestle, hence the name.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 72 to 82 °F (22 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- 3 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 2.8 in (females; males about 2.2 in)
- pH
- 6.5 to 8
- Hardness (GH)
- 5 to 20 dGH
- Lifespan
- 2 to 3 years
- Diet
- Carnivore at the surface
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep wrestling halfbeaks
Wrestling halfbeaks are slim surface fish with a long lower jaw; males lock jaws and wrestle, hence the name. Keep one male with two or three females in a 20 gallon or larger tank with a tight lid, floating plants and gentle flow. They take food from the surface only, so feed floating foods and small live or frozen insects.
Diet: Carnivore at the surface: small floating insects, live and frozen mosquito larvae, brine shrimp, floating flakes. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Top of the tank.
Wrestling halfbeak tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Peppered corydoras
2.8 in · 20+ gal · 64–77 °F
Red eye tetra
2.8 in · 29+ gal · 73–82 °F
Gold barb
2.8 in · 20+ gal · 64–75 °F
Variatus platy
2.8 in · 15+ gal · 61–75 °F
Bronze corydoras
2.75 in · 20+ gal · 72–80 °F
Tiger barb
3 in · 29+ gal · 74–80 °F
German blue ram
3 in · 20+ gal · 78–85 °F
Cockatoo dwarf cichlid
3 in · 20+ gal · 75–84 °F
Keep apart
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as wrestling halfbeaks.
Jewel cichlid: Jewel cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as wrestling halfbeaks.
Saulosi cichlid: Saulosi cichlids belong with other Lake Malawi cichlids, not with wrestling halfbeaks.
Red-tail dwarf puffer: Red-tail dwarf puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Everglades pygmy sunfish: Everglades pygmy sunfish belong in a tank of their own.
What a wrestling halfbeak tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a tight lid (they jump), and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon wrestling halfbeak tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon wrestling halfbeak tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Wrestling halfbeaks need 72 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding wrestling halfbeaks.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 72 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 20 gallon tank · Heaters for a 20 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common wrestling halfbeak problems
- They jump; keep the lid tight.
- Males fight each other; one male per tank, or several in a large tank with lots of cover.
- They panic and hit the glass when startled; a lid and floating plants soften it.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Dermogenys pusilla. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Wrestling halfbeak Ahsan_al_hidayat, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Peppered corydoras Przemysław Malkowski, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red eye tetra Jhartshorn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Gold barb Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Variatus platy Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bronze corydoras Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Tiger barb Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- German blue ram Eric Mengel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cockatoo dwarf cichlid William Kreijkes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Convict cichlid S. Olkowicz, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Jewel cichlid NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Saulosi cichlid Gerard Delany, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red-tail dwarf puffer Neale Monks (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Everglades pygmy sunfish Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Guppy Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Endler's livebearer Dgrummon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Molly LPA74, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Platy Monika Korzeniec, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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