Fun Celebes Halfbeak Facts For Kids

Do you want to make an aquarium? Why don't you bring a Celebes halfbeak (Nomorhamphus liemi) for it? Due to its origin, the Nomorhamphus liemi was given the name Celebes. The Celebes halfbeak is an endemic fish that can only be found in Sulawesi, Indonesia's freshwater creeks. As part of the international ornamental fish trade, the Celebes halfbeak fish was transported to the United States. While caring for this aquatic species is rather simple, it is recommended that you learn more about it.

The peaceful Nomorhamphus liemi lives in groups in a planted aquarium. The coloration of the males and females is similar. The male will be smaller than the females. Halfbeaks are carnivores that prey on insects, mosquito larvae. After a period of adjustment, your pet fish will start consuming frozen food along with living food.

Discover more details about the Celebes halfbeak breeding, feeding and aquarium plants, temperature, and water parameters. If you like what you read do check out monkfish and gar facts.

What type of animal is a Celebes halfbeak?

The Celebes halfbeak (Nomorhamphus liemi) is a popular aquarium fish that is native to the Maros Regency of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Halfbeaks tend to be marine, but the Nomorhamphus liemi is a freshwater species.

What class of animal does a Celebes halfbeak belong to?

The Celebes halfbeak (Nomorhamphus liemi) belongs to the largest class of fish, that is, Actinopterygii or ray-finned fishes.

How many Celebes halfbeaks are there in the world?

The current population of the Celebes halfbeak (Nomorhamphus liemi) is not known.

Where does a Celebes halfbeak live?

The Celebes halfbeak's origin is the shallow wetlands of Sulawesi, Indonesia. However, it is heavily exported as an ornamental fish. Today, the Nomorhamphus liemi can be found floating in people's aquariums.

What is a Celebes halfbeak's habitat?

The Celebes halfbeak's natural habitat is Indonesian shallow freshwater streams. Because they are surface dwellers, they are easily spotted in crystal clear water. The celebes halfbeak (Nomorhamphu leimi) is a decorative fish that is kept in aquariums. The aquarium must be large at least with a volume of 30 gal (136.4 l) and have effective water filtration.

The active Nomorhamphus liemi will require some natural vegetation like plants in its aquarium habitat. This is a fish species that is sensitive to water temperature and hardiness. Maintain the water at 75-79 F (24-26 C) and 6.5-7.5 a pH level.

Who do Celebes halfbeaks live with?

The Celebes halfbeak (Nomorhamphu leimi) is a social fish that lives in large groups. The Celebes halfbeak school should ideally include about five members or more. You can make a group with one male and four females. They are peaceful and adjust well with other fishes like corydoras and rainbowfish.

When keeping in an aquarium, it is recommended to have other fish species with the same temperament and similar size. Smaller males and females run the risk of getting preyed upon by the halfbeak school.

How long does a Celebes halfbeak live?

The information about the Celebes halfbeak lifespan is not known.

How do they reproduce?

The halfbeak Celebes breeding style is viviparous. They give birth to young fry that can be about 0.78 in (2 cm) in length. Breeding also takes place in aquarium conditions. Peaceful by nature, during mating, the male and female may exhibit certain playful aggression towards each other like biting and nipping. In the aquarium, water temperature and hardiness play a critical role in the breeding of halfbeaks.

The gestation period lasts about six weeks to eight weeks after which about 10-20 fry will be born. After birth, the young can be fed with newly hatched artemia and even flake food. When feeding flake food makes sure it is finely powdered. After eight weeks of birth, you may want to remove the fry from the aquarium to avoid predation by the parents.

What is their conservation status?

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Celebes halfbeak (Nomorhamphus liemi) status is Near Threatened.

What do Celebes halfbeaks look like?

The halfbeak as the name suggests has a unique mouth that resembles a halfbeak. The lower jaw of the peaceful Nomorhamphus liemi is immovable. This immovable jaw curls to face the rear of the fish. The movable upper jaw is smaller. This is a colorful species. Depending on the specimen, they can be silver-green or silver-brown in color. The fins will have red and black. The young fry is born after eight weeks and look similar to the parents.

Compared to other species in the Nomorhamphus family, the Celebes lower jaw is not as elongated. They have black pigmentation on the fins that exists almost half of the length of the small fish. The Celebes halfbeak (Nomorhamphus liemi) has two subspecies, which can be distinguished by their coloration. The N. liemi liemi has black fins while the N. liemi snijdersi has red fins. 

The Nomorhamphus liemi females are visibly larger than the males. Males are more colorful than females.

How cute are they?

It's difficult to classify them as cute. The brightly colored livebearers are small in size and have an elongated lower jaw.

How do they communicate?

This information is not known.

How big is a Celebes halfbeak?

The size of the Celebes halfbeak (nomorhamphus liemi) ranges between 2.4-3.5 in (6-9 cm). Among the two sexes, females are bigger than males. The maximum size of the species can be 4 in (10 cm). Compared to the Borneo Redline, Celebes halfbeak is larger in size. This makes them smaller than a barb, and about the same size as a neon tetra.

How fast can a Celebes halfbeak swim?

The speed at which the males and females swim is unknown at the moment. The groups enjoy swimming against strong currents and can jump well. Since they live closer to the surface, it is best if your aquarium has tight-fitting lids. This keeps the halfbeaks from escaping.

How much does a Celebes halfbeak weigh?

The weight of the Celebes halfbeak is not known.

What are the male and female names of the species?

The males and females are known by the same name.

What would you call a baby Celebes halfbeak?

The baby Celebes halfbeak will be referred to as fry or juvenile fish.

What do they eat?

The Nomorhamphus liemi diet should include both live foods and frozen foods. Among live foods, the Liemi snijdersi can be fed a range of insects, small crustaceans, and worms. Frozen foods that can be fed to the Liemi snijdersi are daphnia, bloodworms, gut-loaded fruit flies, white mosquito larvae, high-quality flake foods, vitamin-enriched brine shrimp and so on.

The halfbeaks eat from the surface. While live foods make a chunk of their diet, eventually some will get adjusted to high-quality frozen or dried foods like artemia. In the aquarium, it may prey on small species.

Are they dangerous?

No, they are not. They are a peaceful fish species that adjusts well with other members in the tank. However, if the tank is small or contains aggressive members, the halfbeak may become territorial. Small fish should not be kept in the same tank as halfbeaks because they can prey on them.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, this fish species is a popular aquarium resident. This surface dweller has a beautiful coloration (especially males) and is small in size, making it ideal for aquariums. The Celebes halfbeak care guide requires following some water parameters like managing the ph level and temperature. Along with water parameters, it is recommended to add some plants to the aquarium. The aquarium should have a volume of 35-40 gal (159-182 l).

Feeding the halfbeaks involves giving them both live and frozen foods. This includes bloodworms, mosquito larvae, artemia, and flake. They get along well with fishes of the same size and behavior. Breeding Celebes halfbeak is also possible in a planted aquarium. You can find the Celebes halfbeak for sale at aquariums in your area.

Did you know...

In the US, the export records of the halfbeak go back to 1992.

The halfbeak is a nervous fish by nature, and when stressed, it can injure its lower jaw by banging against the aquarium walls.

How did Celebes halfbeaks get their name?

The Celebes halfbeak (Nomorhamphus liemi) gets its name from the island of Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes), where it was discovered.

Are halfbeaks community fish?

Yes, they are a community fish. In an aquarium, they are known to co-exist with other livebearers like colisa, corydoras, and Celebes rainbowfish. The halfbeaks have a tendency to prey on smaller size fish, so avoid introducing such species in your aquarium tank. It is recommended to create a community with fish of the same size and a peaceful demeanor to avoid conflict.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fishes including pilchard facts or ocean sunfish facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable ocean sunfish coloring pages.

Second image by Guérin Nicolas.