TankBud

Bond's glass tetra

Xenagoniates bondi

Also known as Xenagoniates tetra

FreshwaterFish

Bond's glass tetra (Xenagoniates bondi)
Frank M. Greco · CC BY 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
73–82°F
23–28°C
pH
5.5–7.2
Adult size
2.6 in
6.5 cm
Minimum tank
21 gal
80 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Characidae
Origin
Orinoco llanos and Lake Maracaibo drainages

Overview

Bond's glass tetra is a slender, almost fully transparent schooling fish for open water in a calm community tank. It suits a keeper with some experience.

Did you know

Bond's glass tetra is so clear that its organs sit in a small silvery pouch behind the gills. The rest of the fish reads as swimming glass, a camouflage that hides it in open water.

Caring for the Bond's glass tetra

Keep Bond's glass tetras in a group of at least eight, and more if you can, in 21 gal (80 L) or larger. They swim in the middle and upper water, so give them plenty of open swimming space. A dark background and some planting around the edges make their transparent bodies easier to see.

Give them warm water at 73 to 82°F (23 to 28°C) and a pH of 5.5 to 7.2, with gentle flow. Dim, even light keeps them relaxed and out in the open. Feed small live and frozen foods such as daphnia, bloodworm, mosquito larvae and brine shrimp, along with fine flake.

Bond's glass tetras are peaceful toward fish they cannot eat. They are open-water micropredators that take small live prey, so avoid tiny fish, fry or dwarf shrimp they could swallow. Calm tetras of similar size and other open-water fish make good company. Their breeding is not documented in home aquariums.

Good to know

Xenagoniates bondi was described by Myers in 1942 and is the only species in its genus. It belongs to the family Characidae and is one of the most transparent of all characins. Its clear body shows the spine, and mature fish carry long, trailing extensions on their fins.

In the wild

Bond's glass tetra lives in slow, clear creeks and river margins of the Orinoco llanos and the Lake Maracaibo drainage. These waters run through Venezuela and Colombia.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Bond's glass tetra is a peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Bond's glass tetra need?

A Bond's glass tetra needs at least 21 gal (80 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Bond's glass tetra need?

A Bond's glass tetra is comfortable at 73–82°F (23–28°C) with a pH of 5.5–7.2.

What does a Bond's glass tetra eat?

A Bond's glass tetra is a micropredator that eats small live and frozen foods, such as daphnia, bloodworm, mosquito larvae and brine shrimp. Give it fine flake as well.

How big does a Bond's glass tetra get?

An adult Bond's glass tetra reaches about 2.6 in (6.5 cm).

Does a Bond's glass tetra need a group?

Yes. A Bond's glass tetra is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

Related species