Black Phantom Tetra
Megalamphodus megalopterus
- Care level
- Beginner
- Adult size
- 3.6 cm
- Minimum tank
- 72 litres
- Temperature
- 20–28 °C
Species profile
Black Neon Tetra
Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi
Common names: Black Neon Tetra, Black Neon
Recognized speciesTetras
Adult size
Up to 3.5 cm
Typical adult length 3–3.5 cm.
Up to 3.5 cm
Countries of origin
Good fit for your tank?
Good fit for
- A peaceful community with a broad mix of small fish
- A planted tank of around 70 litres or more
- A keeper looking for a tougher alternative to neons
Think carefully if
- You can keep only a handful of fish
- Your tankmates are big enough to eat small tetras
- You expect it to look like a Neon Tetra
A peaceful Brazilian tetra with a bold black band below a pale line. It is hardy, sociable, and a good choice for a planted community aquarium.
Appearance and Identification
A slim fish with a broad black band along the flank, topped by a pale, slightly iridescent line. The eye often shows a touch of red above the pupil.
The black band without any red marks it apart from Neon and Cardinal Tetras.
Mature females are deeper-bodied and slightly larger than males.
Tank Requirements
- Suggested filter
- About 280–350 litres an hour
- Suggested heater
- About 75–100 W for this tank
- Minimum tank volume
- 70 litres
- Minimum tank length
- 80 cm
- Minimum group size
- 8
- Recommended group size
- 10
- Activity level
- Active
- Flow preference
- Low to moderate
- Planting preference
- Moderately planted
- Hiding places
- Yes
- Lid recommended
- Yes
- Jumping risk
- Low
Provide planted edges with open swimming space. Dark substrate and some floating cover make the black band stand out.
Behaviour and Tankmates
A peaceful, active schooling fish that uses the middle of the tank.
Keep a mixed-sex group of at least 8 to 10.
Not territorial.
Suitable with other peaceful tetras, rasboras, corydoras, and small gouramis. Avoid fish large enough to swallow it. Shrimplets may be eaten.
Water Parameters
Adapts to a broad range, but soft to moderately hard water suits it best. Keep ammonia and nitrite at zero.
Parameter caveat
Most fish sold are farm-bred and more adaptable than wild stock. Acclimate slowly and use the seller's water as a starting point rather than chasing an exact number.
Feeding
- Diet types
- Insectivore, Omnivore
- Feeding frequency
- Once or twice daily
- Preferred foods
- Fine micro granules or crushed flakeUse a particle size the fish can swallow whole, and feed only what is eaten within a couple of minutes.
- Frozen or live daphnia and cyclopsSmall crustaceans add variety and help bring adults into breeding condition.
- Frozen or newly hatched brine shrimpA good small meat food a few times a week rather than the only food.
An undemanding omnivore that takes most small foods.
Vary the diet through the week, and feed in small amounts so nothing reaches the substrate uneaten.
Breeding
- Breeding type
- Egg Scatterer
- Breeding difficulty
- Moderate
- Brood or egg count
- Typically dozens of small eggs
- Incubation
- 1 days
- Parental care
- None
- Baby foods
- Infusoria or parameciumNeeded for the first days after fry become free-swimming, because the fry are very small.
- Fine powdered fry foodUse sparingly as a supplement, and siphon out anything left uneaten.
- Newly hatched brine shrimpIntroduce once the fry are large enough to swallow it, usually after several days.
- MicrowormsA useful next step for fry that are still too small for brine shrimp.
An egg-scattering free spawner with no parental care. Move conditioned adults to a dim tank with mesh, marbles, or spawning mops. Eggs usually appear the following morning, and the adults should then be removed.
Habitat and Origin
- Geographic origin
- Brazil, South America
- Natural habitat
- Freshwater River, Slow River, Vegetated Shoreline
- Aquarium contexts
- Breeding Aquarium, Planted Aquarium
- Audience level
- Beginner
Classification
- Profile type
- Recognized species
- Genus
- Hyphessobrycon
- Family
- Characidae
- Species group
- Fish, Tetras
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Black Skirt Tetra
Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
- Care level
- Beginner
- Adult size
- 5–6 cm
- Minimum tank
- 70 litres
- Temperature
- 20–26 °C
Bleeding Heart Tetra
Megalamphodus erythrostigma
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 6 cm
- Minimum tank
- 81 litres
- Temperature
- 21–28 °C
Bloodfin Tetra
Aphyocharax anisitsi
- Care level
- Beginner
- Adult size
- 5.5 cm
- Minimum tank
- 54 litres
- Temperature
- 18–28 °C