Venustus
Nimbochromis venustus
- Tank length
- 180 cmabout 6 ft (71 in)
- Start with
- 1
- Temperature
- 25–27 °C77–81 °F
- pH
- 7.6–9
- Adult size
- 20 cm8 in
- Lifespan
- 8–12 yrs
Grows large and buries itself in sand to ambush prey; any fish small enough to swallow will vanish, so plan a long tank with big haps.Grows large and buries itself in sand to ambush prey; any fish small enough to swallow will vanish, so plan a long tank with big haps.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
Avoid with
- African clawed frog
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Agassiz's cory
Venustus may eat Agassiz's coryVenustus may eat Agassiz's cory
Amano shrimpVenustus may eat Amano shrimpVenustus may eat Amano shrimp
- American flagfish
Venustus may eat American flagfishVenustus may eat American flagfish
Assassin snailVenustus may eat Assassin snailVenustus may eat Assassin snail
- Banded gourami
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Bandit cory
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Black kuhli loach
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
Black neon tetraNo shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Black phantom tetra
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Black ruby barb
Venustus may eat Black ruby barbVenustus may eat Black ruby barb
- Blackline rasbora
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
Data used by the planner
| Temperature | 25–27 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
|---|---|---|
| pH | 7.6–9 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Hardness (dGH) | 10–30 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · low confidence |
| Origin | Lake Malawi (sandy shores) | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Beginner friendly | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Care level | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Activity | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Swimming level | middle | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Temperament | predatory | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Nips fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Long fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Territorial | Yes | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lives in groups | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Minimum group | 1 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Diet | carnivore | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lifespan (years) | 8–12 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Months to adult size | 24 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Safe with plants | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Minimum tank length | 180 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |