Ceros Tetra

Moenkhausia ceros

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–82°F (24–28°C)
pH: 5.5–7.0
Adult size: 2 in (5 cm)
Minimum tank: 16 gal (60 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Very rare
Origin: Peru, Brazil
Family: Characidae

Overview

Keep them in a school of six or more in a tank of about 60 liters or larger. They are peaceful, active swimmers that work the middle and upper water. Feed a varied diet of quality flake, micro-pellets, and frozen brine shrimp or daphnia, since they are easygoing omnivores. They make good residents for a calm community of similar-sized fish.

In the wild

Ceros tetras come from clear, slow stretches of the Amazon basin in Peru and Brazil, in shaded, plant-rich water. Set up a dim tank with driftwood, some plants, and soft, slightly acidic to neutral water to suit them. Keep temps in the mid to high 20s C.

Good to know

This is a characin in the genus Moenkhausia, family Characidae, reaching about 5 cm. Like other Moenkhausia tetras it is an egg scatterer with no parental care, and eggs typically hatch within a day or two. It is a less common species in the trade, so solid keeping information is thinner than for the popular tetras.

Did you know

Moenkhausia is a large, messy genus, and fish traded under one name are often mixed with close look-alikes, so a group bought as Ceros tetras may not all be the exact same species. If you want a uniform school, buy them all at once from a single batch.