It is great to offer them with a dark background, great top light, and preferably a tank solely devoted to numerous specimens. Nevertheless, space doesn’t usually permit this luxury, but do try and maintain them with fish no larger than themselves.
The males have a hook on the anal fin, so sexing is fairly simple, but breeding them isn’t. If, nevertheless, you really feel inclined to try, use the technique.
This species is also recognized as the striped Characin, and also the Belgium flag fish. It is a showy and stunning fish, but like most jewels it requires the correct setting.
The body is silvery, but reflects a translucent green, and it is marked with a horizontal stripe of yellow, bordered above by red and below by a blue-black line; hence the reference to the Belgium flag. This line extends from just behind the gill covers to the tail root. The fins are generally clear, or very pale straw colour. To show these fish to their greatest benefit it is essential to have described for H. flammeus. Adults attain a length of about 2 inch Hemigrammus ulreyi is a comparable species, but it lacks the brilliance of colour.