Tetras
The Tetras are mainly small or medium size
fish belonging to the Characin family. They come from South and Central
America and from Africa. There are hundreds of different types of
tetras. Many of these fish are almost incredibly beautiful. Most of
The South American tetras come from soft, acid water. All will survive
fairly happily at 24 degrees C (75 degrees F).
The Teras are not a valid scientific group, but itos a convenient one for many people. The Vampire Tetra was probably named by someone with a sense of humour, and is in not typtcal, growing to two feet long and eating Pirannas.
Neon Tetra Group
When people say Tetra, they sometimes mean the Neon Tetra, Paracheirodon innesi. This is one of the most popular aquarium fish. The Neon and its near relatives, the Cardinal, Paracheirodon axelrodi and the Green Neon, Paracheirodon simulans
are all small fish, subject to predation by larger fish. They are very
suitable fish for a community aquarium of small, peaceful fish
including the next group of tetras.
Other fish which are suitable
companions for the Tetras of the Neon Group include Guppies, Endlers
Guppies, Platies and the smaller species of Danio. Smaller specimens of
many other species are also suitable companions.
The three species of this group all
come from very soft, acidic water. Although they can be acclimatised to
Neutral water, avoid letting the water get too alkaline.
Small Peaceful Tetras
There are many types of peaceful fish
in this group. The tetras in this group include the Black Phantom, The
Black Neon, Diamond, Flame, Head and Tail Light, Glass Bloodfin,
Glowlight, Lemon, Penguin, Pristella, Rosy, Rummy Nose, Silvertip and
Splashing.
Larger or More Aggressive Tetras
The Tetras in this group can be kept
with each other, and with the tetras of the previous group, but caution
is necessary if putting them with the three species of the Neon group.
Some tetras slightly larger or more aggressive are: Black Widow, Blind
Cave, Buenos Aires, Emperor, Paraguay, Red Eye, and Serpae.
These Tetras are also suitable companions for the small to medium sized Barbs like the Tiger Barb, Gold Barb and Rosy Barb.
As always, be aware of the sizes of
your fish and avoid putting large fish with very small ones. For
example, the Paraguay Tetra is only in the third group of tetras because
it can be a little aggressive, but it is a small fish. You would not
want to put a small Paraguay Tetra with as large Rosy Barb.
This is only a short overview of a
few of the more common tetras. Before keeping any fish, or other
animal, you need to be aware of their needs. See the Fact Sheet Index
at the left.
Breeding South American Tetras
There are several hundred species of tetra. Not all of them breed in
the same way. A few of them that have different breeding patterns are:
the Splashing Tetra which actually lays its eggs out of the water, the Rummy Nose Tetra which can be made permanently sterile by calcium ions in the water, the Glass Bloodfin Tetra which likes harder water than most South American tetras, and the Emperor Tetra
which is not a strongly schooling fish. As well as these, the tetras
vary enormously in their ease of breeding, and particularly in the
necessity of exactly the right sort of water.
However, despite these differences between the different species
there are some things common to most of the South American Tetras.
The tetras, in general, are egg scatterers. All the tetras I know
have external fertilisation so both males and females will need to be in
the spawning tank together. They need very soft acidic water. The
temperature varies with the different species, but mostly they will be
stimulated to breed by a small rise in the water temperature.
A breeding tank set up for tetras will be scrupulously clean.
Although in nature, the fish will lay their eggs over plants, many
people prefer to use a synthetic spawning medium because it is easier to
clean. For breeding, many of the tetras require water that is not only
extremely soft, but also very low in total dissolved salts.
Although not all tetras will eat their own eggs the great majority
will sometimes in surprisingly large numbers in the wild. Tetras in
general are also cannibalistic to their own babies. Because of these
two things it is normal to remove the parents after spawning.
Tetras do not usually produce babies in community aquariums, but I
have known several cases where they have done this. Naturally, they have
been easily bred ones like the Black Widow Tetra.
Tetras
