Aurora tetra

Moenkhausia aurora

Also known as Dawn moenkhausia

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 5.5–7.0
Adult size: 2 in (5.2 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Upper Rio Xingu basin, Mato Grosso, Brazil
Family: Characidae

Overview

Keep the aurora tetra as a schooling fish, in a group of at least eight and preferably a dozen or more, since a full shoal settles the fish and brings out the soft pink to reddish glow over its silver body. It swims in the middle of the tank and is peaceful, so pair it with other calm community fish of similar size such as small tetras, pencilfish, dwarf cichlids, and corydoras. Feed a varied diet of quality flake or micro pellets alongside frozen and live foods like daphnia, cyclops, and baby brine shrimp. Give a group a tank of around 75 liters or larger with open swimming room and some planting.

In the wild

In the wild this tetra lives in clearwater headwater streams of the upper Rio Xingu basin in Mato Grosso, central Brazil. Recreate that with warm, soft, gently acidic water, kept between 23 and 28 degrees Celsius and pH 5.5 to 7.0. A darker substrate, some driftwood and leaf litter, and areas of planting with open lanes to swim will suit it, along with steady but not fierce flow and clean, well-filtered water.

Good to know

Moenkhausia aurora belongs to the characin family Characidae and grows to about 5.2 centimeters. It was described only in 2024 by Reia and colleagues, one of a small cluster of reddish-bodied Moenkhausia from central Brazil that also includes M. rubra and M. iris. In life it shows a pink to red flush over silver. Its breeding has not been documented in aquaria, though relatives are egg-scattering spawners that give no parental care.