Mayan Tetra

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep them in a school of six or more. They are active, peaceful fish that work the middle and lower water. They are omnivores, so a varied diet of quality flakes, small granules, and the occasional frozen or live bloodworms and brine shrimp keeps them in good shape. Soft, slightly acidic water suits them best. They fit a community of similarly sized, calm fish. A 60 liter tank gives a group enough room.

In the wild

The Mayan tetra comes from slow, shaded freshwater streams and rivers in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, over sand and leaf litter with decaying plant matter on the bottom. A tank with soft to moderately hard water, some leaf litter or wood for tannins, and shaded planting matches that. Keep pH from 6 to 7.5 and temperatures in the low to mid 20s C.

Good to know

Hyphessobrycon compressus is a characin (family Characidae) reaching around 4.5 cm. The body is laterally compressed, which helps it slip through dense plant growth. It is an egg scatterer that gives no parental care, and aquarium breeding is not well documented. It is not considered endangered, though habitat loss is a risk to some local populations.

Did you know

This is one of the larger and hardier members of its genus, which made it a familiar fish in parts of Central America long before it reached the wider hobby. In its home range it shows up in everything from clear streams to murky backwaters, a good sign of how adaptable it is.

Related species

• 

  Ornate tetra

  Hyphessobrycon bentosi

  1.8 in (4.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)

• 

  Serpae tetra

  Hyphessobrycon serpae

  1.8 in (4.5 cm)17 gal (65 L)68–82°F (20–28°C)
• Purple tetra

  Hyphessobrycon metae

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

• 

  Lemon tetra

  Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis

  2 in (5 cm)17 gal (65 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)

• 

  Peruvian tetra

  Hyphessobrycon peruvianus

  1.6 in (4 cm)16 gal (60 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Red phantom tetra

  Hyphessobrycon sweglesi

  1.6 in (4 cm)15 gal (55 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)