Blackbar Silverfish
Myleus schomburgkii
The Blackbar Silverfish (Myleus schomburgkii) is a peaceful fish that's a good step up once you have a little experience. Give it a tank of at least 500 litres (132 US gallons), water held at 73-81°F, and a pH of 5.5-7.5. Always keep a group of at least 5 - they feel safest in numbers.
Captive lifespan reflects typical experience in a home aquarium, not maximum recorded age; genetics, sourcing, and care vary.
Natural distribution
Mostly South America
- South America
Regional colours match the stocking calculator's origin map.
Blackbar Silverfish Tank Setup
A tank of at least 500 litres (132 US gallons) works well. Keep the water at 73-81°F with a pH around 5.5-7.5, and set up both cover and open swimming space where they spend most of their time (Mid). Always keep a group of at least 5 of their own kind - kept alone or in pairs they tend to turn shy, nippy, or wash out in colour. They grow to around 40 cm, so plan the tank size and filtration for a full-grown adult rather than the small juvenile you see in the shop.
What Do Blackbar Silverfish Eat?
They're grazers, so base their diet on algae, blanched vegetables, and spirulina-based foods rather than high-protein flake. A spotless tank with nothing to graze on leaves them thin and underfed.
Blackbar Silverfish Tank Mates
Large active shoaling fish; needs very large tank. Herbivorous; will eat plants. Keep in groups of 5+. The Blackbar Silverfish is peaceful, which is the first thing to weigh up when you choose tank mates. At around 40 cm fully grown, it needs tank mates that can hold their own against its size and appetite. It's a shoaling fish, so settle a group of 5 or more of its own kind before adding anything else - a stressed, lonely fish is far more likely to nip or hide. Before you buy, run your full stocking list through our stocking calculator. It weighs temperament, adult size, and water needs together, which a single species page can't do on its own.
Are Blackbar Silverfish Good for Beginners?
Not a sensible first purchase. Get the tank cycled, keep easier fish stable for a year, then revisit if you still want the extra work this species demands.
Blackbar Silverfish - frequently asked questions
What size tank do Blackbar Silverfish need?
Blackbar Silverfish need a tank of at least 500 litres (132 US gallons). A bigger tank is always easier to keep stable, and gives them more room to settle in and behave naturally.
How many Blackbar Silverfish should I keep together?
Keep a group of at least 5. Blackbar Silverfish are a shoaling species and become stressed, lose their colour, or hide when kept singly or in pairs.
What water parameters do Blackbar Silverfish need?
Keep them at 73-81°F with a pH of 5.5-7.5, steady rather than chased to an exact figure. In a cycled tank, ammonia and nitrite should both read 0 ppm, with nitrate kept low through regular water changes.
What do Blackbar Silverfish eat?
Blackbar Silverfish are grazers. Base their diet on algae, blanched vegetables, and spirulina-based foods rather than high-protein flake. Feed small amounts once or twice a day, and remove anything they don't eat.
Are Blackbar Silverfish good for beginners?
Blackbar Silverfish are best for keepers with a little experience. They are manageable once you test water regularly and catch problems early; a complete beginner may prefer something more forgiving first.
Common mistakes with Blackbar Silverfish
- Buying fewer than 5 - Blackbar Silverfishs need a proper school to feel secure; isolated individuals hide, fail to colour up, or become stressed.
- Underestimating tank size - the minimum footprint is 500 litres (132 US gallons); impulse buying into a smaller tank leads to stress and shortened lifespan.
Building a community? Run the full list through the stocking calculator before you add anything else.
Great tank mates
Chosen from temperament, overlapping temperature/pH bands, plausible minimum tank footprints, and size versus yours in App-aquatic data. Hobby nuance always wins - verify stocking and temperament before purchasing.
Fish to avoid mixing with Blackbar Silverfish
These well-known species are commonly sold alongside this fish but are not recommended tank mates - verify before purchasing.
- OscarPredator - Oscar will eat or injure smaller tank mates
- Pea PufferPredator - Pea Puffer will eat or injure smaller tank mates
- Betta (Male)Predator - Betta (Male) will eat or injure smaller tank mates
