Tetras are colorful fish. Aquarium fish tetra Tetras compatibility with other fish

Aquarium fish Tetra The characin family is rightfully considered the most popular representative of domestic aquariums. This is a numerous species that is enjoyed by not only beginning aquarists, but also by hobbyists with extensive experience and experience. Such love can be explained by such outstanding qualities as:

• unpretentiousness to living conditions;
• good adaptation;
• not picky about feed;
• calm peaceful character.

Tetra Habitat

IN natural conditions Tetra fish found everywhere in transparent and clean forest reservoirs and rivers of the Central and South America. As a rule, in such reservoirs it stays near bottom snags, in dense vegetation and fallen leaves from trees. The water in such reservoirs is not only clean, but well saturated with oxygen. All this is very important to consider when keeping these beautiful fish.

IN natural environment All types of tetra fish trying to stick together. Their social nature determines their gregarious lifestyle. It is almost impossible to find lonely individuals in nature. Therefore they are not recommended in home aquarium keep alone. Such individuals begin to show not their best traits:

• Aggressiveness;
• Annoyance.

A lonely individual tries not to let anyone near its territory. Even neighbors passing by by chance can become the subject of a surprise attack. Taking this into account, it is worth adding at least 10 fish to the aquarium.

Types of aquarium fish Tetras

Speaking about the types of Tetra fish, it is worth noting that to our continent, for aquarium breeding, they began to be imported in the second half of the 20th century. At the same time, several more varieties of representatives of this species living in the natural environment were discovered. During a short period of stay, breeders bred interesting varieties these beauties. Today at pet markets and pet stores you can find the following types of these cute fish:

• The Golden Tetra has a golden-yellow color with small light spots at the base of the tail and on the head. The lateral line on the body has a dark green tint, which widens at the tail. At home care their golden color takes on a slightly greenish tint. The body length of the fish, depending on the volume of the aquarium, can be from 3.5 to 5 centimeters.
• The Copper Tetra, also known as the Hasemania fish, got its name from the characteristic coloring of the males. A copper tint covers the entire body of these individuals. And only their lateral line has a rich silver color. But the tips of the dorsal, ventral and caudal fins of this species are painted milky white.
• The appearance of the Tetra Von Rio fish is no less attractive and beautiful. These small, up to 4 cm, individuals have a unique color. The head and chest parts of the body have a silvery color, which, as it approaches the tail, acquires a bright and rich red tint. In addition, each barrel has three dark vertical stripes.
• The Royal Tetra fish is one of the longest (up to 6 centimeters) representatives of this species. Their diamond-shaped body, elongated in a horizontal plane, has a yellow-white abdomen and a dark olive or brown back. A divides top part fish from the bottom, a dark rich horizontal stripe running throughout the body. The translucent fins of the fish are pointed at the ends.

In addition to these types, there are also the following types:

• Flashlight;
• Firefly;
• Bloody;
• Colombian;
• Pink;
• Blue.

In a home aquarium keep Tetra fish not difficult at all. Therefore, they can be safely recommended to beginning aquarists. Since all varieties prefer to stay in schools, it is best to purchase fish from 6 pieces. The volume of a home pond for these pets is best taken from 50 liters. It must be at least 40 centimeters in length. Only in this case will it be possible to truly enjoy the behavior of these calm and sweet beauties.

Tetras can be kept with almost all peace-loving animals. They are compatible with Guppies, Mollies, Swordtails. The fish Cardinals, Neons, Congos, and Ternetias can easily get along with them. It is very noteworthy that this type of pet can be safely placed in an aquarium with rare plants. They practically don't touch them. The fish and the soil do not touch. Therefore, you can be calm about the state of the bottom landscape.

As for water and its indicators, when keeping Tetra fish in an aquarium, you should adhere to the following values:

• Temperature range - 23 o C…28 o C;
• Acidity indicator - pH 5.5..6;
• The range of total hardness should not exceed 17 o.

Fish can quite calmly tolerate drops in ambient temperature down to 18 o C. But it is best to avoid such changes. To do this, you should get an automatic thermostat.

If you decide to have Tetra photos, which are presented on this page, in your aquarium, then it is worth remembering that the fish need pure water. To ensure its high-quality filtration, installation of a double-sided filter and weekly replacement of 1/5 of the total volume will allow. It will be very nice if the water is saturated with oxygen through a small compressor.

To design an aquarium where there will be contains fish of the Tetra species, there are no specific requirements. It is preferable to line the bottom with sandy soil and decorate it with small smooth stones. You can also use artificial grottoes and boiled driftwood. In order to emphasize the beauty of the fish and highlight the scenery itself, experienced aquarists plant moss on them.

Aquatic plants will be an excellent addition to the scenery: cryptocoryne, vallisneria, ludwigia. Tetras love them very much. However, it is not worth planting the entire aquarium with vegetation. The fish need to be left a place where they can frolic freely. Therefore, there are several options for plant placement:

• In the background of the aquarium;
• At the left and right walls.

If you choose any of them, the decorations placed in the aquarium will look good. But in general, the landscape will emphasize the beauty of the fish.

As seen in photo Tetra fish loving soft diffused light. Water mirrors will help you create it. It would be appropriate to place duckweed or any fern here. In general, the color saturation of your pets will directly depend on the quality of the created conditions.

Reproduction of Tetra aquarium fish

Continue your kind of aquarium Tetra fish capable from 6-7 months of age. For reproduction healthy and active breeders are selected and placed in a prepared spawning aquarium. Either a nylon mesh with a cell diameter that allows only eggs to pass through, or Java moss is placed on its bottom.

Throughout the week, the producers selected for reproduction, should be fed with live food (Bloodworm, Cyclops). After that, the water temperature in the spawning tank is gradually increased by 3...4 degrees and the hardness index is reduced by adding distilled water. Such manipulations serve as a signal for females to spawn. After the spawning process, to preserve the eggs, male and female Tetras are placed in a common aquarium.

In the future, caring for the offspring comes down to removing unfertilized eggs, which become cloudy, and feeding the fry. It is best to feed the fry with ciliates and live dust. Juveniles eat artemia, crustaceans and nauplii quite well.

What to feed adult Tetras

Adult Tetra fish are completely unpretentious in their diet. However, they have a very enviable appetite. They happily eat both live food and canned and dry food. In the course of their life, they can pinch ground leaves in small quantities aquatic plants. Which doesn't harm them one bit. It is almost impossible to overfeed this species of the characin family. Their natural activity and excessive mobility prevents them from gaining excess weight.

The fish are very willing to eat crushed plant food. To prevent vitamin deficiency, Tetras can be fed crushed yolk chicken egg, hard-boiled. Since their mouth is slightly turned up, they cannot eat food that has fallen to the bottom. Given this feature, to maintain the purity of the water in the aquarium, it is better to purchase a bloodworm.

Small fish that swim briskly throughout the aquarium are the most common choice of both amateurs and experienced aquarists. That's right we're talking about about the type of tetra, which includes several varieties. However, all of them rarely reach a length of more than seven centimeters. The body itself has a diamond shape or can be narrow and elongated.

Types of aquarium tetra fish

The single name tetra refers to several types of nimble fish:

A beautiful and spectacular fish, whose scales create a sparkling effect. Maximum size an adult is 6 cm.

A fish with smooth body lines, with a small notch in the lower part. The size of an adult reaches 4.5 cm. The color of the fish is yellowish or gray-green with a silvery sheen. Not far from the gills on the body there are two dark oblong spots.

A small fish with small colorless fins. The color of the fish is grayish-silver, the belly is lighter, and there is a dark stripe on the sides. Black and golden-orange spots can be seen in various parts of the body. The size of the fish is up to 6 cm.

One half of the body is silvery-white, the other is mirror-brown. During the spawning period or during escape, the body acquires a dark red color. In the lateral part there is a bluish spot on a yellowish background.

There are many more varieties of it, but they all have one thing in common: common feature– female tetras have a discreet color, while the bodies of males have bright and colorful colors. Beautiful colors fade and disappear as the conditions for keeping the fish deteriorate.

Also on the page of our website you can find out everything about the aquarium fish molly: maintenance, breeding and compatibility with other fish.
Also on the page of our website you can find out everything about the aquarium fish platie: maintenance, breeding and compatibility with other fish.

Maintenance and care of aquarium tetra fish

Tetra fish are very peaceful, but at the same time they cannot stand loneliness. One aquarium should contain ten or even twenty individuals at once (if the volume allows). Left alone, the tetra will become aggressive towards other inhabitants of the aquarium, annoying them and not allowing them to live in peace. She will menacingly guard her territory and attack all fish that swim nearby. But in a school they coexist perfectly with other fish, peace-loving neighbors like themselves.

Tetra fish do not have the habit of undermining the soil and destroying algae. So you can safely plant your aquarium with expensive plants without worrying about their safety.

As for the amount of algae, the more the better. Tetras make their homes in dense vegetation, so a large number of they will like the greenery.

Comfortable water temperature in the aquarium is 22-25°C. Lower or high temperatures will have an adverse effect on their well-being. The acidity of the water should also be within the range of 6.0-7.0.

Do not forget about filtering and aerating the water in the aquarium, changing a fifth of the total volume weekly.
As for lighting, tetra fish do not like bright light. Lighting should be diffused, with darkening in one corner using algae.

Feeding tetra fish

Tetras feed on whatever is offered to them. However, you should not get carried away with compound feed; it is preferable to use live food. It is important to remember that tetras prefer to feed in the upper layers of water, closer to the surface. Food that falls to the bottom will go unnoticed. Over time, this can lead to bacterial overgrowth. This can only be avoided by breeding tetra fish together with other aquatic inhabitants or by timely cleaning the aquarium.

As for the latter, cleaning an aquarium is beyond the power of amateurs. Only a professional approach, practiced by the specialists of the Aqua-Sto company, will allow you to efficiently remove contaminants from the aquarium and provide your fish with comfortable living conditions.

Tetra glass

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:

Characinaceae.

International scientific name:

Prionobrama filigera.

Water parameters for keeping a glass tetra in an aquarium:

Temperature: 23 - 27°C (73 - 80 0 F);

Acidity, pH: 6.0 - 7.5;

Hardness: up to 30°H;

For a small group, a 70 liter aquarium (60cm x 37.5cm x 30cm) will be sufficient.

Aggressiveness: not aggressive 10%;

Filtration is weak. Weekly 30% water changes.

Habitat of the Glass Tetra

They are found in various parts of the Amazon River in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil.

Description of glass tetras

The average size of the glass Tetra is 6 cm. The fish has a slender, elongated, transparent body. The skin is transparent, and through them you can easily see the spine and internal organs. The glass Tetra's body color is pale blue or bluish-gray. The fish has a small head, which cannot be said about the eyes; they are of a substantial size. The lateral, ventral and anal fins of glassy Tetras are transparent, the dorsal fins are either yellowish or transparent. But the caudal fin has a bright red color. Sexual maturity is reached at the age of 5 to 7 months. Like most small characins, female adult Glass Tetras are noticeably fuller in the abdomen, especially during the spawning season.

Glass Tetra compatibility

What to feed the glass tetra?

The upturned mouth and slightly keeled body shape suggest that this fish species feeds primarily on small invertebrates on the surface of the water in nature. In an aquarium, this fish prefers any live food, such as daphnia, bloodworms, and cyclops. However, they will not refuse dried food good quality. Remember that only with a varied diet will your fish feel good, showing you the most saturated colors.

Feeding any aquarium fish ok should be correct: balanced, varied. This fundamental rule is the key to the successful keeping of any fish, be it guppies or astronotuses. The article talks about this in detail, it outlines the basic principles of the diet and feeding regime for fish.

In this article, we note the most important thing - feeding fish should not be monotonous; the diet should include both dry food and live food. In addition, you need to take into account the gastronomic preferences of a particular fish and, depending on this, include in its diet food either with the highest protein content or, conversely, with plant ingredients.

Popular and popular food for fish, of course, is dry food. For example, food from Tetra, the leader, can be found on aquarium shelves all the time and everywhere. Russian market, in fact, the range of food from this company is amazing. Tetra's "gastronomic arsenal" includes individual food for certain type fish: for goldfish, for cichlids, for loricariids, guppies, labyrinths, arowanas, discus, etc. Tetra has also developed specialized foods, for example, to enhance color, fortified, or for feeding fry. Detailed information You can find out about all Tetra feeds on the company’s official website -

It should be noted that when purchasing any dry food, you should pay attention to the date of its manufacture and shelf life, try not to buy food in bulk, and also store the food in a closed state - this will help to avoid the development of pathogenic flora in it.

Conditions for keeping glass Tetra

An active pelagic fish species that prefers to live in the middle and upper layers water, so there should be enough free space for swimming in the aquarium. It is most effective when the fish are kept in a group in a plant-rich aquarium. Floating plants have a beneficial effect on the well-being of fish. The fish will be grateful for decorative elements that imitate their natural habitat, such as beech or oak driftwood and beech and duma leaves that have fallen on the substrate, giving a very natural look compositions.

Breeding and propagation of Glass Tetra

Breeding glass Tetra is not at all difficult, but you will need to purchase a separate spawning aquarium, of course, if you are interested in raising a good percentage of fry. It should be dimly lit and contain a group of fine-leaved plants such as java moss. Such plants will serve good place for laying eggs. However, there is an alternative: you can stretch a net at the bottom of the aquarium, through which adults will not be able to reach the eggs that have fallen to the bottom. In a spawning aquarium, the water should be soft and acidic with ph6.0 - 7.0 and gH 1 - 5, temperature around 27 - 30 0 C. Filtration and aeration is necessary, which can be well organized using, for example, an internal filter Tetratec Brilliant-Filter from Tetra.

There is also a known method of breeding in pairs. In this technique, males and females are kept in groups in separate containers. For spawning, they take the fullest female and the brightest male. Place them in the spawning aquarium in the evening. The spawning process begins in the morning.

The fry hatch after 14 - 36 hours and swim freely after 3 - 4 days. They are fed with ciliates or special food for fry until the fish can eat bloodworms and brine shrimp.

All of the above is just the fruit of observing this type of aquarium fish and collecting various information from owners and breeders. We would like to share with visitors not only information, but also with live emotions, allowing you to penetrate the world of aquariums more fully and subtly. Register on, participate in discussions on the forum, create profile topics where you will talk about your pets in the first person and first-hand, describe their habits, behavior and content, share with us your successes and joys, share and learn from experience others. We are interested in every bit of your experience, every second of your joy, every awareness of a mistake, which makes it possible for your comrades to avoid the same mistake. The more of us there are, the more pure and transparent drops of goodness there are in the life and everyday life of our seven billion society.

Beautiful photos with glass tetra

Video about glass tetra

The first mention of the royal tetra occurred in 1911. And many years later, in 1959, Nematobrycon palmeri Eigenmann first appeared in European aquariums. The royal tetra is a resident of the San Juan River water system located in Colombia.

Her body length is 5.5 cm. Distinctive feature King tetras are thought to lack an adipose fin.

To distinguish fish by gender, you should consider the average ray of the tail and the overall size of the individual. Female tetras are smaller in size than males. The abdomen of the female specimen is much rounder, and the body color is dull and inexpressive. The central ray of the tail fin of the male is longer than that of the female. It is believed that not all male royal tetras can bear offspring. That is why you should carefully select males for breeding these fish.

To successfully breed these fish, they should be placed in a separate aquarium. Females are kept separately for about 2 weeks. The water where the offspring will develop can be taken from the main aquarium, but at the same time adding peat extract to it. The suitable temperature for spawning is water +24 +26C.

The water in the spawning aquarium should not be too acidic or soft, otherwise the fry may develop dropsy. In general, breeding a royal tetra is not a difficult process. Scattered eggs turn into larvae within a day after being thrown. And five days later, fry emerge from it. The main food for tetra fry is, and the grown young are fed with pre-cut tubifex. They can also be given flies (Drosophila) as complementary food.

The container for keeping the royal tetra should be spacious. Diffused lighting is suitable. Small flocks of tetras look very beautiful against the background of the dark bottom of the aquarium. Small tetraform fish are ideal neighbors for Nematobrycon palmeri. Good food for aquarium tetra is oatmeal or mosquito larvae.

Among all the tetra representatives in the aquarium, the most important male always appears, who leads the entire flock. He acts as a leader, which is probably why the royal tetra got its name. Similar behavior of males can be observed in other species of aquarium fish. For example, in Nematobrycon lacortei, males behave in a similar way. But this type of fish is not very common among aquarists. And it is considered more popular the new kind small Inpaichthys kerri.

The king tetra comes in three subspecies: common (Palmeri), red-eyed and black (Nematobrycon amphiloxus). Black tetra is the most rare variety, which doesn’t really have its own Russian name yet. Currently, active debate continues on this issue and some experts believe that Nematobrycon amphiloxus is a synonym of Nematobrycon palmeri. And other experts insist that this name belongs to a subspecies of the red-eyed tetra - Nematobrycon lacortei. The most popular fish is the Palmeri subspecies, but the red-eye is also a rare event in the world of aquarists.

The king tetra is a common aquarium fish.

A description of the complex and confusing situation among Russian ichthyologists regarding the black tetra species was well described in one of the American magazines “Tropical Fish Hobbyist”.

In one of the issues of the journal in 2000, an article was published explaining the formation of Nematobrycon amphiloxus.

It all started when a species of fish similar to N. palmeri caught in 1960 was identified as amphiloxus (black tetra). This happened because the ichthyologists of that time already knew about the existence of the new nematobrikon, but did not have the opportunity to see it in person. It was under this name that this fish was sold over the next ten years. It was only in 1971 that scientists Weitzman and Fink discovered the error and named the new species Nematobrycon lacortei.

After a more detailed study of representatives of palmeri and amphiloxus, scientists realized that the differences between these fish (except for color) are very insignificant. This is why they can be recognized as one species. Based on the fact that the name palmeri was the first to be introduced, it was decided to consider amphyloxus a synonym.

There is also ancient legend about characin fish. Which says that once in ancient times, different types of royal tetras (palmeri and amphiloxus) lived in rivers that were not connected to each other in Colombia. Nematobrycon amphiloxus was distinguished by a black stripe along its entire body. Years later, the rivers were connected using canals and the two types of tetras mixed with each other. As a result, viable hybrids of the royal tetra appeared. This legend explains the strange disappearance of the black nematobrikon in amateur circles.

Another scientist for whom the red-eyed tetra is named, Rosario LaCorte, studied wild-caught king tetras. They noticed that all the males had all the signs of full-fledged palmeri, and among the females representatives of both palmeri and amphyloxus were found. Through a process of selective breeding, Rosario restored the black variety of tetra. And it was she who was identified as Nematobrycon amphiloxus in 1914.

And since 1988, a new subspecies of the royal tetra, the “Black Palmeri,” began to appear in many European aquariums. Where she came from remains a mystery. In the article (Nematobrycon palmeri amphiloxus?) by Czech aquarist Jroslav Kadlec, the estimated dates of the appearance of black palmeri in Europe were given.

The royal tetra has a name - palmeri, which is also considered scientific.

In the early nineties, Nematobrycon palmeri amphiloxus first came from Germany to the Czech Republic. But this type of royal tetra saw the light only at the ITERZOO exhibition in 1994. This species can be considered descendants of the black palmiera, bred by Rosario LaCorte. This fish came to our aquariums from Bulgaria in 2000. And it was successfully bred by the Bulgarian ichthyologist D. Penev.

According to the ichthyologist, breeding this species of kingfish was very, very difficult. These fish did not want to spawn, the eggs constantly disappeared. Adults constantly suffered from various intestinal diseases. This made it extremely difficult for them to swim. All this happened with Nematobrycon palmeri amphiloxus despite the fact that other fish of the characin family were kept in identical conditions and were absolutely healthy.

In an attempt to reproduce, Nematobrycon palmeri amphiloxus was fed with bloodworms, coretra, tubifex, live daphnia and cyclops, dry food, crumbs of different types of bread, and even mashed green peas. And it was not possible to determine the cause of the fish diseases. Some of them periodically died, others recovered or began to get sick again.

One of the most experienced haracin fishermen in Moscow, O. A. Yakubov, changed the diet of the fish, offering only fresh plankton as food. But this experiment did not bring positive results. Of all the individuals, only one male remained alive, who nevertheless suffered from intestinal inflammation several times.

And only as a result of the mating of the last male Nematobrycon palmeri amphiloxus with a female common palmeri, offspring were born. The fact that all offspring are completely similar to their mother turned out to be regrettable. All six fish from the litter turned out to be males with signs of ordinary palmeri. But thanks to this experiment, it was possible to establish the close relationship of these two types of palmeri.

After some time, in a completely unexpected way, we managed to find a black female palmeri, which was immediately purchased for the last surviving male.
The most remarkable thing is the fact that black fish appeared from ordinary Palmeri parents. And black palmeri appeared through constant renewal of the flock at the expense of young individuals of the same flock.

From all this we can conclude that the appearance of black palmeri is quite possible in two ways, which will be a consequence of prolonged inbreeding (breeding) of fish. The option of crossing a simple palmeri with a black palmeri can be considered more realistic. And to say that the common palmeri is stronger and takes over amphiloxus. After some time, the black female was crossed again, this time all the offspring were black.

At the conclusion of the historical opus about the black royal tetra, one more story should be lifted. In the winter of 1996, an order was placed for South American palmeri from Colombia. More than 250 fish arrived in the cold conditions of our climate. All the fish from the batch, surprisingly, turned out to be black royal palmiers. Although at that moment they caused wild disappointment with their cloudy and unusual coloring for Moscow aquarists. It is still not known what type of tetra was imported in that shipment. Most likely, it was Amphiloxus and its hybrid cross with Lacorthea.

The coloring of the fish from the package was very strange and not typical. Due to poor conditions for acclimatization, the entire batch of royal palmeri that arrived from Colombia soon died.
The main difference between Nematobrycon amphiloxus and common palmeri is its color. The shape of their body and fins is identical. Amphiloxus has bright, black stripes along the entire body, starting from the head and ending with the tail. The abdominal part of the fish has several whitish stripes from the nape to the fin of the back.

The king tetra may change color periodically. The color of the fish depends on its life activity. During the mating season, males turn completely black. This is the blackest fish among all aquarium inhabitants. Even the black male Megalamphodus megalopterus is not as bright in color as the male king tetra during mating season.

Females can change their color when they want to hide from the male if they are not ready for the mating process. The most attractive thing they have at this moment is their golden eyes.

In a relaxed state, the fish have a black body with light outlines along the back and abdomen. The fins are usually gray or transparent.

Apart from eye color, the royal tetra has no other colors other than black and gray. Sometimes the nape area may be decorated with white scales, and the anal fin has a white edge. As the fry grows, it first develops one black stripe along its entire body, which increases over time and completely colors the tetra.

What about other royal tetras?

The most spectacular in terms of color is the common Nematobrycon palmeri. It is very popular among most aquarists. This type of tetra does not cause difficulties in the process of keeping and breeding.

Nematobrycon lacortei is a rarer subspecies of the royal tetra. There is not much information about it in a variety of publications for aquarium fish lovers. It is believed that this species differs from palmeri only in its color. But the color scheme still has some differences.

Tetra Lakortei has more muted colors and blurred boundaries between them. Individuals of Nematobrycon lacortei are colored in warm yellowish-red tones, in contrast to palmeri, which have a cool blue-green color.

The head and gills have a reddish tint, which smoothly turns into a purple stripe on the body of the fish. And closer to the tail, the purple tint turns into jet black. A distinctive element of the coloration of lacortes is the shiny area of ​​the body from its middle part to the caudal peduncle. It can be seen especially well when the fish is illuminated from the side.

At detailed study on the body and sides of the fish you can see the presence of almost all colors existing in nature. Perhaps this is why German aquarists gave Lacorteus another name (Regenbogentetra), which translates as rainbow tetra.
Each individual of this variety has its own unique pattern on its side. The appearance of this pattern can be compared to the uneven peeling of the mother-of-pearl surface of the scales, starting from the head to the tail itself. The male always proudly demonstrates his long anal fin, which has a reddish edging, to his opponent, stretching it forward. Female royal lacortas have a more modest coloration. Light, yellowish shades predominate on their body.

Nematobrycon lacortei is also called the red-eyed tetra. The fish actually received this name due to the presence of red eyes. But it is worth noting that among all the lacortes, only the eyes of the males are colored reddish-brown. The females of this species have the same eye color as other representatives of the royal tetra, green-yellow. Thanks to the red eyes, you can easily separate the fish by gender. Adults of all three varieties have the main differences in the tail area.

Palmeri has a clearly visible “trident” shape of the caudal fin. It is also commonly called the crown. The central ray of the palmeri is black, elongated and even slightly pointed. Nematobrycon amphiloxus has more modest caudal fin parameters. It lacks pigtails on the sides of the tail blades and the central part of the fin is much shorter. The tail of the male Nematobrycon amphiloxus is even less attractive than the others. It is practically not pointed and without pigtails. But it has a very thin and long central protrusion.

All three species of king tetra without special labor can interbreed with each other. All this leads to the disappearance of pure breeds and prominent representatives each type. The colors of individuals mix over time, becoming less bright and attractive.

In an aquarium, you can often observe mating displays between males of one species and females of another species. The spawning process and lifestyle of all types of royal tetras are similar to each other.

The copper tetra or Hasemania nana is a small fish that lives in dark water rivers in Brazil. It has a slightly more harmful character than other small tetras and can tear off the fins of other fish.

Hasemania nana is native to Brazil, where it lives in rivers with blackwater, which is darkened by an abundant layer of leaves, branches and other organic matter covering the bottom.

Description

Small tetras, up to 5 cm in length. Life expectancy is about 3 years. Males are bright, copper in color, females are paler and more silvery.

However, if you turn on the light at night, you can see that all the fish are silver, and only at the beginning of the morning do they acquire their famous color.

Both have white spots on the edges of their fins that distinguish them as fish. There is also a black spot on the caudal fin.

The copper tetra is distinguished from other tetra species by the absence of a small adipose fin.

Copper tetras look good in a densely planted aquarium with dark soil. This schooling fish, which prefers to stay in the center of the aquarium.

A volume of 70 liters is enough for a small flock. In nature they live in very soft water with big amount dissolved tannins and low acidity, and if the same parameters are in the aquarium, then hasemanias are more brightly colored.

Such parameters can be recreated by adding peat or dry leaves to the water. However, they are also accustomed to other conditions, so they live at a temperature of 23-28°C, water acidity pH: 6.0-8.0 and hardness 5-20°H.

However, they do not like sudden changes in parameters; changes must be made gradually.

Compatibility

Despite their small size, they can tear off the fins of other fish, but they themselves can be a victim for large and predatory aquarium fish.

To make them less likely to bother other fish, copper tetras need to be kept in a flock of 10 or more individuals. Then they have their own hierarchy, order and more interesting behavior.

They get along well with rhodostomus, black neons, tetragonopterus and other fast tetras and characins.

Feeding

They are not picky and eat any type of food. To make the fish brighter in color, it is advisable to regularly feed them live or frozen food.

Sex differences

Male copper tetras are more brightly colored than females, and females also have a more rounded abdomen.

Breeding

Reproduction of copper tetras is quite simple, but you will have to place them in a separate aquarium if you want to get more fry.

The aquarium should have twilight and bushes of plants with small leaves; Java moss or nylon thread work well. The eggs will fall through the threads or leaves, and the fish will not be able to reach them.

The aquarium must be covered or floating plants placed on the surface.

Breeders need to be fed live food before being placed to spawn. They can spawn in a school, 5-6 fish of both sexes will be enough, however, they also breed successfully in pairs.

It is advisable to place the breeders in different aquariums and feed them abundantly for a while. Then in the evening they are placed in a spawning tank, the water in which should be several degrees warmer.

Spawning begins early in the morning.

Females lay eggs on plants, but fish can eat them, and at the slightest opportunity they should be removed. The larvae will hatch in 24-36 hours, and after another 3-4 days the fry will begin to swim.

During the first days, copper tetra fry are fed small foods, such as ciliates and green water, and as they grow, they are given microworms and artemia nauplii.

Eggs and fry are photosensitive in the first days of life, so the aquarium should be kept away from direct sun rays and keep in a fairly shaded place.

Take a look:

Post navigation