Green-eye tetra

Moenkhausia chlorophthalma

Also known as Chlorophthalma tetra

FreshwaterFish

Green-eye tetra (Moenkhausia chlorophthalma) — Sousa, Leandro M.; Netto-Ferreira, André L.; Birindelli, José L. O. · CC BY 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–82°F (24–28°C)
pH: 5.0–6.8
Adult size: 3.1 in (8 cm)
Minimum tank: 24 gal (90 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Rio Curuá clearwaters, Serra do Cachimbo, Brazil
Family: Characidae

Overview

The green-eye tetra is a peaceful schooling fish best kept in a group of at least eight, in soft water with dim, dark decor that makes its glowing green eye stand out. It is a middle-swimming fish that grows fairly large for a tetra, so it needs room and calm, similar-sized company such as other medium tetras, peaceful cichlids, and corydoras. Avoid tiny nano fish it might crowd and anything aggressive. Feed quality flake and pellets with frozen or live foods like daphnia, bloodworm, and brine shrimp. Give a group around 90 liters or more with driftwood and shade.

In the wild

Moenkhausia chlorophthalma comes from glass-clear streams draining the Serra do Cachimbo plateau, in the rio Curua system of the upper Rio Xingu basin, Para, Brazil. These waters run soft and acidic over bare rock and sand. Keep it warm, from 24 to 28 degrees Celsius, at pH 5.0 to 6.8 with low hardness, using driftwood, leaf litter, and a dark substrate. Dim light shows off the eye and keeps the fish confident in the open.

Good to know

Described in 2013 from the Serra do Cachimbo, Moenkhausia chlorophthalma is a characin of the family Characidae reaching about 8 centimeters. Its name means green-eyed, for the bright green upper eye that glows in living fish, and it also carries a dark blotch on the adipose fin. It is an egg-scattering spawner with no parental care, and aquarium breeding is not documented.