Preto tetra

Moenkhausia pretoensis

Also known as Pretoensis tetra, Red fin moenkhausia

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 5.0–6.8
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Blackwater creeks of the Colombian and Brazilian Amazon
Family: Characidae

Overview

The preto tetra is a peaceful schooling fish for a soft, acidic blackwater community, best kept in a group of at least eight to ten. It swims in the middle of the tank and its silver shows cleanest against dark water and decor. Pair it with the same sort of fish that share its home waters, such as cardinal and other small tetras, pencilfish, hatchetfish, and corydoras, and avoid large or pushy species. Feed small foods: quality flake, micro pellets, and regular frozen or live daphnia, cyclops, and bloodworm. A group is comfortable in around 75 liters or more.

In the wild

Moenkhausia pretoensis lives in dark, tannin-stained creeks of the upper Amazon in Colombia and Brazil, the kind of soft, acidic blackwater that cardinal tetras favor. Recreate it with warm water from 23 to 28 degrees Celsius, an acidic pH between 5.0 and 6.8, and very low hardness. Filter over botanicals or peat, add leaf litter and driftwood for tannins, dim the light, and use a dark substrate to bring out the fish.

Good to know

Moenkhausia pretoensis belongs to the characin family Characidae and reaches about 6 centimeters. Its name comes from a locality called Preto, preto being the Portuguese word for black and a reference to darkly stained blackwater rather than to any marking on the fish, which is a fairly plain silver. It is an egg-scattering spawner, and aquarium breeding is not documented.

Did you know

It is named for black water rather than any black marking it wears: preto means black in Portuguese, and the reference is to the dark, tea-colored creeks it swims in.