Cachimbo tetra

Hyphessobrycon cachimbensis

Also known as Serra do Cachimbo tetra, Golden Flash Tetra

FreshwaterFish

Cachimbo tetra (Hyphessobrycon cachimbensis) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 5.5–7.0
Adult size: 2.7 in (6.8 cm)
Minimum tank: 26 gal (100 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Serra do Cachimbo, Para, Brazil
Family: Characidae

Overview

A robust schooling tetra that needs a longer tank than its smaller cousins; keep six or more with similarly sized peaceful fish. Larger mouths mean it appreciates bigger fare: granules, small pellets, and meaty frozen foods. Very small tankmates are better avoided simply on size difference.

In the wild

This tetra comes from streams draining the Serra do Cachimbo uplands in Para, Brazil, clear and tannin-touched water over rock and sand. Give it swimming room, moderate flow, and cooler tropical temperatures of 22 to 27 degrees Celsius with pH 5.5 to 7.0.

Good to know

Hyphessobrycon cachimbensis was described by Travassos in 1964 and is one of the giants of the genus, reaching close to 7 centimeters. It remains poorly studied and rarely exported, known mainly from the plateau region it is named after.

Did you know

Most Hyphessobrycon fit comfortably in a nano tank; this one grows nearly three times the length of an ember tetra and swims like it knows it.

Tank mates

Cachimbo tetra is a mostly peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.