Head-and-taillight tetra

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep a group of six or more in a tank of about 65 liters and they will school in the middle of the tank. They are peaceful and active, and a tight group keeps them confident. Feed a mix of quality flake, small pellets, and the occasional frozen brine shrimp or bloodworm. They fit well in a soft-water community with other small, calm fish.

In the wild

This tetra lives in slow rivers and floodplains across the Guianas, Peru, and Brazil, in shaded water that runs from clear to a bit tea-stained. The bottom is usually sand or mud with plenty of plant cover and submerged wood. Set the tank up the same way: soft, slightly acidic water, a sand floor, and some shade from plants or floating cover. A pH anywhere from the mid 5s to mid 7s works.

Good to know

Hemigrammus ocellifer is a characin (family Characidae) that reaches about 4.5 cm. The common name comes from the two glowing spots, one behind the gill and one at the tail base. It is an egg scatterer with no parental care, and eggs hatch in roughly a day to a day and a half. It is listed as Least Concern.

Did you know

The two bright spots are what earn the name. The front one sits near the head and the back one near the tail, so a resting fish looks a bit like it has a headlight and a taillight switched on.

Related species

• 

  Garnet tetra

  Hemigrammus pulcher

  1.8 in (4.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Rummy-nose tetra

  Hemigrammus rhodostomus

  2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Glowlight tetra

  Hemigrammus erythrozonus

  1.6 in (4 cm)18 gal (70 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  January tetra

  Hemigrammus hyanuary

  1.6 in (4 cm)17 gal (65 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Golden Tetra

  Hemigrammus rodwayi

  2.2 in (5.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Red flush tetra

  Hemigrammus stictus

  2.4 in (6 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)