Altus tetra

Brachypetersius altus

Also known as Highback Congo tetra

FreshwaterFish

Altus tetra (Brachypetersius altus) — (c) John P Friel, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by John P Friel · cc-by

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2.6 in (6.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 30 gal (112 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Congo basin, central Africa
Family: Alestidae

Overview

The altus tetra is a peaceful, active shoaling fish, so keep a group of at least six and ideally more to see natural behavior and reduce skittishness. It spends its time in open midwater and appreciates room to swim along with a little current. Pair it with other calm West African or general community fish that will not bully or out-compete it, such as small barbs, rasboras, or peaceful catfish. It is an unfussy omnivore: offer good flake and small pellets as a base, with regular frozen or live foods like daphnia and bloodworm to bring out condition and color. A tank of about 112 liters or larger gives a small shoal the length it wants.

In the wild

This species lives in the slow, soft, tannin-tinted waters of the Congo River basin in central Africa. Its home streams run over sand and leaf litter beneath forest shade, with plenty of submerged wood and roots. A planted tank with driftwood, a darker substrate, and subdued lighting suits it well. Keep the water soft to moderately hard and gently flowing at 23 to 28 degrees Celsius and pH 6.0 to 7.5, and stay on top of water changes since these fish like clean, stable conditions.

Good to know

Brachypetersius altus belongs to Alestidae, the African tetras, and stays small at around 6.5 centimeters. It is a deep-bodied, iridescent silver fish; the name altus is Latin for high and refers to its tall, arched back, which is also why it picks up the trade name highback Congo tetra. Some sellers list it as the African spottail tetra for the dark mark near its tail. There is no established aquarium breeding record, and it is presumed to be an egg-scatterer like its relatives.

Did you know

Its species name altus is simply Latin for high, chosen for the tall, humped back that sets it apart from its slimmer Congo cousins and gives it the highback nickname in shops.