Tetra Fish

Africa, Central America and South America are the places which serve as home to the tetra fish. These fish are primarily species of freshwater fish and belong to the family Characidae in the order Characiformes. These small swimmers are distinguished from other small fish by their miniature adipose fin, located between the dorsal fin and caudal fin. Several types of this fish are popular among hobbyists, as they are easy to be kept in captivity.

Caring for A Tetra Fish

Before you introduce your fish to its new home, you have to set up the tank first. So, fill the bottom of the tank with gravel or sand and dechlorinated water (five inches of fish per gallon of soft to medium-hard water at a temperature of about 75 F/ 24 C ). If you are deciding to keep 50 - 80 tetras, then a twenty gallon tank is good enough. Thereafter, add all other things to the tank which would give to the look of a natural surrounding. It is a very good idea to add plants to the tank. They serve as an ideal hiding places for these swimmers, which hardly fancy being in open spaces. After you are done with setting up a home for your tetra, do not ignore the importance of cycling the tank water. Regular cycling ensures uniform distribution of nitrogen and ammonia throughout the water. Now it's the time when you can usher the fish into its new home. It is certain that the fish would take some time before it gets used to its new surroundings.

Coming to the food choices, it is important to understand that the tetras are mid-tank swimmers. They tend to ignore food that falls to the bottom of the tank and instead, they come to the top to feed. It is advisable to feed the fish as much as they can consume in three minutes. Feeding the fish with small portions of food several times a day is a good practice, instead of giving them large portions. There is nothing much to worry regarding over-feeding the fish, as they generally do not over eat. However, leftover food or excess food portions can easily pollute the water and this will be quite a bit of a headache for you to take care of. Though, tropical flake food and freeze-dried treats are popular with tetra fish, their health might get degraded, if their diet is not supplemented with live food. Live plant matter also does good for these little fish.

In the wild the tetra breed during the rainy season. However, breeding year around becomes a feature of these fish when kept in an aquarium. For the breeding, adults should be fed plenty of frozen foods and the water should be kept soft, slightly acidic with blackwater extract added. Dimly lit the tank and keep the water at a temperature of 23 - 26 C. Use fine-leaved plants or an artificial spawning mop to collect the eggs. It is recommended that after spawning the parents must be removed. Generally, 1-3 days is what is required for the eggs to hatch. Feed the fry with very fine live foods and in order to keep the quality of water high, change it daily.

Common Tetra Fish Species

• Adonis tetra (Lepidarchus adonis)
• Arnold's tetra (Arnoldichthys spilopterus)
• Bandtail tetra (Moenkhausia dichroura)
• Beacon tetra (Hemigrammus ocellifer)
• Black neon tetra (Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi)
• Callistus tetra Hyphessobrycon eques)
• Central tetra (Astyanax aeneus)
• Dawn tetra (Aphyocharax paraguayensis)
• Discus tetra (Brachychalcinus orbicularis)
• Emperor tetra (Nematobrycon palmeri)
• False neon tetra (Paracheirodon simulans)
• False red nose tetra (Petitella georgiae)
• Glass tetra (Moenkhausia oligolepis)
• Gold tetra (Hemigrammus rodwayi)
• Jumping tetra (Hemibrycon tridens)
• Lemon tetra (Hyphessobrycon)
• Longjaw tetra (Bramocharax bransfordii)
• Mayan tetra (Hyphessobrycon compressus)
• Naked tetra (Gymnocharacinus bergii)
• Oneline tetra (Nannaethiops unitaeniatus)
• Panama tetra (Hyphessobrycon panamensis)
• Penguin tetra (Thayeria boehlkei)
• Rainbow tetra (Nematobrycon lacortei)
• Red eye tetra (Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae)
• Ruby tetra (Axelrodia riesei)
• Savage tetra (Hyphessobrycon savagei)
• Sharptooth tetra (Micralestes acutidens)
• Silver tetra (Gymnocorymbus thayeri)
• Tailspot tetra (Bryconops caudomaculatus)
• Uruguay tetra (Cheirodon interruptus)
• Yellow-tailed African tetra (Alestopetersius caudalis)

This would be all for some basic aspects of the life of the tetra fish. Should you look for more information, then a fish enthusiast would be someone you may want to talk to. So bring home some tetras, and enjoy the company of your 'leetle' friends!