Melanostichos tetra

Hyphessobrycon melanostichos

Also known as Tapajos blackline tetra

FreshwaterFish

Melanostichos tetra (Hyphessobrycon melanostichos) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 5.5–7.0
Adult size: 1.7 in (4.4 cm)
Minimum tank: 16 gal (60 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Common
Origin: Rio Doze de Outubro, upper Tapajos basin, Mato Grosso, Brazil
Family: Characidae

Overview

Keep six or more and give them length to run; this is an active swimmer among the striped tetras. It accepts all standard small foods. Robust enough for a general softwater community, striking enough for a dedicated Tapajos biotope alongside corys from the same drainage.

In the wild

This species lives in the rio Doze de Outubro in the upper Tapajos basin, clear soft water running through Mato Grosso forest. Keep it with a dark substrate, plants along the back, open water in front, 22 to 27 degrees Celsius, and pH 5.5 to 7.0.

Good to know

Described in 2006, Hyphessobrycon melanostichos reaches about 4.4 centimeters. The name means black line, for the thick dark stripe running from gill plate to tail, which pairs with a blue-green sheen along the upper body in healthy adults.

Did you know

It shares one small river with another species described in the same paper, the notidanos tetra, two neighbors that entered the scientific record side by side.

Tank mates

Melanostichos tetra is a peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.