Coffee bean tetra
Hyphessobrycon takasei
Also known as Takase's tetra
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 73–82°F (23–28°C)
- pH
- 5.0–6.8
- Adult size
- 1.4 in (3.6 cm)
- Minimum tank
- 15 gal (55 L)
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Schooling
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- Hard
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- Araguari and Oyapock basins, Amapa, Brazil and French Guiana
- Family
- Characidae
Overview
Keep six or more with gentle blackwater company; it can be shy at first and settles fastest in shaded, botanical-rich tanks. Feeds on crushed flake, micro granules, and small live or frozen foods. Once comfortable, the bean-marked school works open water together.
In the wild
The coffee bean tetra lives in quiet blackwater creeks of the Araguari and Oyapock basins along the Brazil and French Guiana border. It wants warm, acidic, tea-dark water: 23 to 28 degrees Celsius, pH 5.0 to 6.8, leaf litter, and dim light.
Good to know
Hyphessobrycon takasei was described by Gery in 1964 and reaches about 3.6 centimeters. Its unmistakable mark is a huge oval shoulder blotch shaped like a coffee bean, far larger than the shoulder spots of related species.
Did you know
The giant bean-shaped shoulder spot is so specific that no other tetra in the hobby can be confused with it; the common name wrote itself.
Tank mates
Coffee bean tetra is a peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.
Masked cory
Hoplisoma metaeFreshwater2 in (5 cm)15 gal (55 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)
Three-lined pencilfish
Nannostomus trifasciatusFreshwater1.3 in (3.3 cm)15 gal (55 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
Kane's cory
Hoplisoma kaneiFreshwater1.8 in (4.5 cm)15 gal (55 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Green neon tetra
Paracheirodon simulansFreshwater1 in (2.5 cm)15 gal (55 L)72–86°F (22–30°C)Bridge dwarf cichlid
Apistogramma gephyraFreshwater1.8 in (4.5 cm)15 gal (55 L)77–84°F (25–29°C)
Harlequin rasbora
Trigonostigma heteromorphaFreshwater2 in (5 cm)15 gal (55 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
Common questions
What size tank does a Coffee bean tetra need?
A Coffee bean tetra needs at least 15 gal (55 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH do Coffee bean tetra need?
Coffee bean tetra are comfortable at 73–82°F (23–28°C) with a pH of 5.0–6.8.
How big do Coffee bean tetra get?
An adult Coffee bean tetra reaches about 1.4 in (3.6 cm).
Do Coffee bean tetra need a group?
Yes. Coffee bean tetra are a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.
Where to buy
Some links may not be the exact species or variety.
…or ask your local fish store.
Appears in
Keeping Coffee bean tetra?
Track water tests, reminders and stocking fit.
Planning tankmates
See how Coffee bean tetra fits a stocking plan. Open the stocking calculator
Add to your site
Show this species on your own site: a shortcode for WordPress, or an HTML embed for anywhere else.
Related species
Amapa tetra
Hyphessobrycon amapaensisFreshwater1.4 in (3.6 cm)15 gal (55 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Black phantom tetra
Hyphessobrycon megalopterusFreshwater1.4 in (3.6 cm)17 gal (65 L)70–82°F (21–28°C)
Pinnistriatus tetra
Hyphessobrycon pinnistriatusFreshwater1.4 in (3.6 cm)15 gal (55 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)Simulatus tetra
Hyphessobrycon simulatusFreshwater1.4 in (3.6 cm)15 gal (55 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Clavatus tetra
Hyphessobrycon clavatusFreshwater1.5 in (3.7 cm)15 gal (55 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Montag's tetra
Hyphessobrycon montagiFreshwater1.5 in (3.7 cm)15 gal (55 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)