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Napo tetra

Moenkhausia naponis

Also known as Naponis tetra

FreshwaterFish

Napo tetra (Moenkhausia naponis)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
73–81°F
23–27°C
pH
5.5–7.0
Adult size
2.6 in
6.5 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Egg scatterer
Rarity
Rare
Family
Characidae
Origin
Rio Napo drainage, Ecuador and Peru

Overview

The Napo tetra is a peaceful schooling tetra for a planted community tank with open water. It suits a keeper with a little experience.

Did you know

The Napo tetra's home river was the route Francisco de Orellana followed in 1541, on the first European descent of the Amazon. The tetra schools where that famous journey began.

Caring for the Napo tetra

Keep Napo tetras in a group of at least eight to ten, in 20 gal (75 L) or more. Give them a sand bottom, driftwood and leaf litter, with planting around open swimming space. Gentle flow, good oxygen and clean, stable water suit them.

Keep the water warm but not hot, at 73 to 81°F (23 to 27°C). Aim for a pH of 5.5 to 7.0 and low to moderate hardness. Feed a varied diet of quality flake or micro pellets, with frozen and live foods such as daphnia, cyclops and bloodworm. Make sure the smaller fish get their share.

Napo tetras are peaceful and swim in the middle of the tank. Keep them with other calm soft-water species, and away from large or aggressive tank mates. They also suit a regional display with Napo corydoras, pencilfish and dwarf cichlids from the same part of the western Amazon. They are egg scatterers, but there are no established aquarium breeding records.

Good to know

The Napo tetra, Moenkhausia naponis, was described by James Bohlke in 1958. It is named for the Rio Napo, where it was first collected in Ecuador. It is a characin of the family Characidae and carries a clean dark spot at the base of the tail.

In the wild

The Napo tetra comes from the upper Rio Napo system in Ecuador and Peru. There, clear and cool foothill water descends from the Andes into the western Amazon.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Napo tetra is a peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Napo tetra need?

A Napo tetra needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Napo tetra need?

A Napo tetra is comfortable at 73–81°F (23–27°C) with a pH of 5.5–7.0.

What does a Napo tetra eat?

A Napo tetra takes quality flake or micro pellets, plus frozen and live foods such as daphnia, cyclops and bloodworm.

How big does a Napo tetra get?

An adult Napo tetra reaches about 2.6 in (6.5 cm).

Does a Napo tetra need a group?

Yes. A Napo tetra is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does a Napo tetra breed?

Napo tetras are egg scatterers. There are no established records of them breeding in an aquarium.

Related species