Bucktooth tetra

Care at a glance

Overview

This is an aggressive fish, and the trick is to keep it in a large group, ten or more, in a tank of at least 170 liters. A big school spreads out the aggression instead of it all landing on one or two fish. They are relentless fin and scale nippers, so a species-only setup is the safe call. Feed heavily on meaty foods like bloodworms, brine shrimp, and chopped seafood, and use a tight lid since they jump.

In the wild

Bucktooth tetras come from rivers and streams in Brazil, often in clearer flowing water over rock and submerged wood. A tank with open swimming room, some current, and scattered cover matches them well. They handle a wide pH range from soft and acidic up to neutral, with temps in the mid to high 20s C.

Good to know

This is a characin in the family Characidae, reaching about 12 cm as an adult. The common name comes from its specialized teeth, which it uses to tear at the fins and scales of other fish. There is no reliable aquarium breeding record for the species.

Did you know

Bucktooth tetras are lepidophages, meaning part of their natural diet is the scales they bite off other fish. Young ones do it even more than adults, and in a tank they will turn on each other if the group is too small to keep everyone busy.

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