Colombian gold tetra

Hyphessobrycon saizi

Also known as Hyphessobrycon eos, Hemigrammus saizi

FreshwaterFish

Colombian gold tetra (Hyphessobrycon saizi) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 5.5–7.0
Adult size: 1.4 in (3.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 14 gal (54 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Colombian Amazon near Leticia
Family: Characidae

Overview

The Colombian gold tetra is an easy, peaceful schooling fish for a softwater community, best kept in a group of at least eight to ten where its golden sheen shows well. It swims in the middle of the tank and suits calm tankmates of similar size, such as other small tetras, pencilfish, dwarf cichlids, and corydoras. Feed small foods: quality flake, micro pellets, and frequent frozen or live daphnia, cyclops, and baby brine shrimp. A group settles happily into around 54 liters or more with soft, gently stained water, some planting, and open swimming room.

In the wild

This tetra comes from soft, gently acidic forest creeks of the Colombian Amazon near Leticia, the same clear and blackwater habitats that hold cardinal and red neon tetras. Keep it warm, from 23 to 28 degrees Celsius, at pH 5.5 to 7.0 with low hardness. A dark substrate, driftwood, leaf litter, and dim light bring out its color, while gentle flow and clean, well-filtered water keep the group healthy.

Good to know

Hyphessobrycon saizi is a characin of the family Characidae reaching about 3.5 centimeters, traded under several names including Hyphessobrycon eos and Hemigrammus saizi. Its gold sheen is not a normal pigment: it comes from extra guanine crystals in the skin, produced in response to a mild larval parasite, so tank-bred fish come out plain silver and the golden ones are always wild-caught. It can be spawned as an egg scatterer, but doing so takes some effort.

Did you know

The gold on wild fish is triggered by a harmless larval parasite that makes the skin lay down extra guanine crystals, which is why captive-bred offspring hatch out plain silver instead of gold.

Tank mates

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