Hummingbird tetra

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a delicate nano fish that needs soft, acidic, spotless water and a mature, gently filtered tank. Keep a group of at least 10, since a small huddle will simply hide away. House it only with the smallest, most peaceful tankmates, or better yet on its own, and feed tiny foods it can actually swallow.

In the wild

Comes from soft, acidic blackwater streams and pools in the Peruvian Amazon. These are shaded, tannin stained waters full of leaf litter and fine roots. The tiny fish keep to the middle water among cover.

Good to know

Trochilocharax ornatus is one of the smallest characins in the hobby at under 2 cm, and it sits in its own genus. Males have extended, ornate fins that they flick in rapid display. The hummingbird name comes from these fast, hovering fin movements.

Did you know

Displaying males flick their oversized fins in a rapid, hovering flutter that looks a bit like a hummingbird working a flower, which is how the fish got its name.

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• 

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