TankBud

Bonita tetra

Moenkhausia bonita

Also known as Pretty moenkhausia, Blackbird tetra

FreshwaterFish

Bonita tetra (Moenkhausia bonita)
Felipe Alonso, Liliana Ciotek, and Miguel Albarenga · CC BY 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
3.3 in
8.5 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Egg scatterer
Rarity
Rare
Family
Characidae
Origin
Upper Paraguay and Paraná systems, Brazil

Overview

The Bonita tetra is an adaptable, peaceful schooling fish and a good choice for a general community tank. It is easy to keep.

Did you know

Bonita is simply the everyday Portuguese and Spanish word for pretty. It is the kind of plain, direct name a local fisher might give a clean, good-looking little silver fish.

Caring for the Bonita tetra

Keep Bonita tetras in a group of at least eight. They grow larger than many tetras and stay active, so give a group 29 gal (110 L) or more with open swimming room. A sand or fine gravel bottom, driftwood and some hardy plants suit them.

They are not demanding about water. Keep them at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C), with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5, moderate hardness and steady, clean flow. They are not fussy about food either. They take quality flake, pellets, and frozen or live foods like daphnia, bloodworm and brine shrimp.

Bonita tetras are peaceful midwater swimmers. Pair them with active companions of similar size, such as other medium tetras, rasboras, peaceful barbs and corydoras. They are egg-scattering spawners, but aquarium breeding is not formally recorded.

Good to know

Moenkhausia bonita belongs to the characin family Characidae. It is a clean silver fish, marked with a dark spot at the base of the tail.

In the wild

The Bonita tetra ranges widely across the Paraguay, Parana, Uruguay and Bermejo basins. It lives in the clear waters of the upper Paraguay and Parana systems of central South America. Its range includes the streams that feed the Pantanal.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Bonita 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 Bonita tetra need?

A Bonita tetra needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Bonita tetra need?

A Bonita tetra is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a Bonita tetra eat?

A Bonita tetra is not fussy and takes quality flake and pellets. It also eats frozen or live foods like daphnia, bloodworm and brine shrimp.

How big does a Bonita tetra get?

An adult Bonita tetra reaches about 3.3 in (8.5 cm).

Does a Bonita tetra need a group?

Yes. A Bonita tetra is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does a Bonita tetra breed?

The Bonita tetra is an egg-scattering spawner. Its breeding in aquariums has not been formally recorded.

Related species