Buenos Aires tetra
Hyphessobrycon anisitsi
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 66–81°F (19–27°C)
- pH
- 6.0–8.0
- Adult size
- 3 in (7.5 cm)
- Minimum tank
- 25 gal (95 L)
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Schooling
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Breeding
- Medium
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina
- Family
- Characidae
Overview
Keep them in a school of six or more in a tank of at least 95 liters, since a small group tends to get nippy. They are fast, busy swimmers that work the middle and lower water and eat just about anything: flakes, pellets, and frozen foods all go down. The catch is plants, they will shred soft-leaved species, so pair them with tough plants like anubias and java fern or skip live plants entirely. Good beginner fish, just not for a delicate planted tank.
In the wild
Buenos Aires tetras range across the La Plata basin in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, in rivers and streams with some flow and plant growth. Because they live further south, they tolerate cooler water than most tetras, anywhere from the high teens up to the mid 20s C. Give them open swimming space with hardy plants or plastic ones they cannot wreck.
Good to know
This is a hardy characin in the family Characidae, growing to around 7.5 cm. They are egg scatterers that give no parental care, and the eggs usually hatch inside a day or two. Their wide temperature tolerance makes them one of the tougher tetras to keep alive.
Did you know
Their appetite for greens is strong enough that some keepers use them as a cleanup crew for hair algae, though they will happily eat your prized stem plants along with it. There is also a popular albino form that is more common in shops than the wild-type silver fish.
Where to buy
Some links may not be the exact species or variety.
- LiveAquaria Freshwater and saltwater fish, inverts and corals
- Imperial Tropicals Freshwater fish and inverts bred at a Florida hatchery
…or ask your local fish store.
Appears in
Keeping Buenos Aires tetra?
Track water tests, reminders and stocking fit.
Related species
Colombian Tetra
Hyphessobrycon columbianus2.6 in (6.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Bleeding heart tetra
Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma2.4 in (6 cm)20 gal (75 L)70–81°F (21–27°C)
Lesser bleeding heart tetra
Hyphessobrycon socolofi2.2 in (5.6 cm)24 gal (90 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Lemon tetra
Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis2 in (5 cm)17 gal (65 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
Mayan Tetra
Hyphessobrycon compressus1.8 in (4.5 cm)16 gal (60 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
Ornate tetra
Hyphessobrycon bentosi1.8 in (4.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)