Ornate tetra
Hyphessobrycon bentosi
Also known as Megalamphodus bentosi, Sickle Tetra
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 72–82°F
- 22–28°C
- pH
- 5.5–7.5
- Adult size
- 1.8 in
- 4.5 cm
- Minimum tank
- 20 gal
- 75 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Schooling
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- Hard
- Rarity
- Common
- Family
- Characidae
- Origin
- Brazil
Overview
Keep at least six, more if you have room, in a tank of 75 liters or larger. They're peaceful, active mid-water schoolers that suit a community of similar-sized, calm fish. Aim for warm water in the mid 20s C, soft, and acidic to neutral. Feed a mix of quality flake, small pellets, and regular frozen or live foods like bloodworm and daphnia.
In the wild
The ornate tetra comes from the Amazon basin in Brazil, living in slow, often soft and tannin-stained streams with plants, roots, and leaf litter. Conditions run acidic to neutral. A planted tank with some dark substrate, driftwood, and gentle flow lets them show their best color and feel secure. Subdued lighting helps.
Good to know
This is a characin in the family Characidae, reaching about 4 to 5 cm. It belongs to a confusing group of similar rosy-finned tetras that are easy to mix up. It's an egg scatterer with no parental care. Adults carry red-edged fins, and males often have longer, more pointed dorsal and anal fins than females.
Did you know
In a group, the males spend a lot of time sparring with each other, flaring their long fins side by side without ever doing real harm. It's mostly display, and it actually looks better in a bigger school, where several males will posture at once.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
Ornate 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.
Marble wood shrimp
Atya scabra
Freshwater3.9 in (10 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Clown pleco
Panaqolus maccus
Freshwater3.5 in (9 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Rex halfbeak
Nomorhamphus rex
Freshwater2.2 in (5.5 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
Ornate rainbowfish
Rhadinocentrus ornatus
Freshwater2.4 in (6 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)64–82°F (18–28°C)
Bronze cory
Osteogaster aenea
Freshwater3 in (7.5 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)70–81°F (21–27°C)
Six-barred panchax
Epiplatys sexfasciatus
Freshwater3.9 in (10 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Common questions
What size tank does an Ornate tetra need?
An Ornate tetra needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does an Ornate tetra need?
An Ornate tetra is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 5.5–7.5.
How big does an Ornate tetra get?
An adult Ornate tetra reaches about 1.8 in (4.5 cm).
Does an Ornate tetra need a group?
Yes. An Ornate tetra is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.
Related species
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