Garnet tetra
Hemigrammus pulcher
Also known as pretty tetra
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 73–82°F
- 23–28°C
- pH
- 5.0–7.0
- Adult size
- 1.8 in
- 4.5 cm
- Minimum tank
- 20 gal
- 75 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Schooling
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- Egg scatterer · Hard
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Characidae
- Origin
- Peru
Overview
The garnet tetra is an easy, peaceful schooling tetra that swims in midwater.
Did you know
The garnet tetra's deep red-gold color, the source of its name, shifts with the light and the background. Over a dark substrate with tannin-stained water it really shows, while in a bright, bare tank the same fish can look washed out.
Caring for the garnet tetra
Keep garnet tetras in a school of six or more, in a tank of at least 20 gal (75 L). They look and behave best in a group. Give them a dim, planted setup with a sandy bottom. Add some leaves or wood to lower the pH and tint the water.
Soft, slightly acidic water suits them best, at 73 to 82°F (23 to 28°C) and a pH of 5.0 to 7.0. Feed flake and small pellets, with occasional frozen bloodworms or daphnia.
Garnet tetras are peaceful and mix well with other small, calm fish. Like most tetras, they scatter their eggs and give no parental care. Breeding them in a tank is difficult.
Good to know
Hemigrammus pulcher is a characin in the family Characidae. Ladiges first described the species in 1938, and pulcher means beautiful in Latin. It is listed as Least Concern, with stable wild populations.
In the wild
Garnet tetras come from the Amazon basin in Peru and nearby waters. They live in slow blackwater streams stained brown with tannins. The water is soft, warm and acidic, with leaf litter and submerged plants for cover.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The garnet tetra is a peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.
Neocaridina shrimp
Neocaridina davidi
Freshwater1.6 in (4 cm) · 5 gal (19 L)59–84°F (15–29°C)
Guppy
Poecilia reticulata
FreshwaterBrackish2.4 in (6 cm) · 10 gal (38 L)64–82°F (18–28°C)
Neon tetra
Paracheirodon innesi
Freshwater1.5 in (3.8 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)70–77°F (21–25°C)
Marble wood shrimp
Atya scabra
Freshwater3.9 in (10 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Common spiny loach
Lepidocephalichthys thermalis
Freshwater3.1 in (8 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
Blue panchax
Aplocheilus panchax
Freshwater3.5 in (9 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
Common questions
What size tank does a garnet tetra need?
A garnet tetra needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does a garnet tetra need?
A garnet tetra is comfortable at 73–82°F (23–28°C) with a pH of 5.0–7.0.
What does a garnet tetra eat?
A garnet tetra eats flake and small pellets, plus the occasional frozen bloodworms or daphnia.
How big does a garnet tetra get?
An adult garnet tetra reaches about 1.8 in (4.5 cm).
Does a garnet tetra need a group?
Yes. A garnet tetra is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.
How does a garnet tetra breed?
Garnet tetras are egg scatterers, like most tetras, and give no parental care. Breeding them in a tank is difficult.
Related species
1.8 in (4.5 cm)17 gal (65 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Head-and-taillight tetra
Hemigrammus ocellifer
1.8 in (4.5 cm) · 17 gal (65 L)
1.7 in (4.4 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)Ulrey's tetra
Hemigrammus ulreyi
1.7 in (4.4 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
1.7 in (4.3 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Filament tetra
Hemigrammus filamentosus
1.7 in (4.3 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)Collett's tetra
Hemigrammus collettii
2 in (5 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)Red flush tetra
Hemigrammus stictus
2 in (5 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)Rummy-nose tetra
Hemigrammus rhodostomus
2 in (5 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)