Ornate tetra

Care at a glance

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.

Related species

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• 

  Lemon tetra

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  Peruvian tetra

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• 

  Red phantom tetra

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