Bleeding Heart Tetra
Megalamphodus erythrostigma
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 6 cm
- Minimum tank
- 81 litres
- Temperature
- 21–28 °C
Species profile
Black Skirt Tetra
Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
Common names: Black Skirt Tetra, Black Widow Tetra, Petticoat Tetra
Recognized speciesTetras
Adult size
Up to 6 cm
Typical adult length 5–6 cm.
Up to 6 cm
Countries of origin
Good fit for your tank?
Good fit for
- A hardy starter tank with a large group
- A community of robust, short-finned fish
- Cooler or moderately hard water than neons prefer
Think carefully if
- You keep long-finned fish or other slow, fancy species
- You can only keep a small group
- You want a very small nano fish
A deep-bodied, hardy tetra from South America with a dark, flowing rear body. It is easy to keep, but needs a large group to keep fin nipping under control.
Appearance and Identification
A deep, laterally flattened body with two dark vertical bars behind the head, and a dark rear body with fan-like fins. Colour fades to grey in older fish.
The tall body shape and dark rear are distinctive. Long-finned, white, and artificially coloured forms are sold under related names, and dyed fish should be avoided.
Males are slimmer and smaller, with more pointed dorsal and anal fins. Females have deeper, rounder bodies.
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
- 75 cm
- Minimum group size
- 12
- Recommended group size
- 12
- Activity level
- Active
- Flow preference
- Moderate
- Planting preference
- Moderately planted
- Lid recommended
- Yes
- Jumping risk
- Low
Provide open swimming space with some planting and robust filtration. A larger group needs more length than a typical small tetra setup.
Behaviour and Tankmates
Active and generally peaceful in a large group, though individuals can chase or nip when numbers are low.
Keep at least 12. A larger group is the best way to reduce fin nipping.
Not territorial, but pecking orders form in the group.
Suitable with similar-sized barbs, tetras, danios, loaches, and corydoras. Avoid bettas, fancy guppies, and angelfish, whose long fins attract nipping.
Water Parameters
Very adaptable. Avoid sudden changes, and keep nitrate low with regular water changes.
Parameter caveat
Tolerance is not a reason to skip maintenance. Acclimate slowly and keep ammonia and nitrite at zero.
Feeding
- Diet types
- Insectivore, Omnivore
- Feeding frequency
- Once or twice daily
- Preferred foods
- Quality flake or small granulesUse as the daily staple, choosing a size every fish in the group can manage.
- Frozen bloodworm, daphnia, or brine shrimpRotate these a few times a week to improve condition and colour.
- Spirulina or vegetable flakeAdds plant matter that a meat-heavy diet lacks.
An unfussy omnivore that eats most flakes, granules, and frozen foods.
Regular feeding of varied foods helps keep the group settled.
Breeding
- Breeding type
- Egg Scatterer
- Breeding difficulty
- Easy
- Brood or egg count
- Often several hundred 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.
Adhesive eggs are spawned in a group or in pairs in a separate, dim tank. Remove adults once eggs appear, because they eat them. Eggs hatch in 18 to 36 hours.
Habitat and Origin
- Geographic origin
- Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, South America
- Natural habitat
- Freshwater River, Slow River, Vegetated Shoreline
- Aquarium contexts
- Breeding Aquarium
- Audience level
- Beginner
Classification
- Profile type
- Recognized species
- Genus
- Gymnocorymbus
- Family
- Characidae
- Species group
- Fish, Tetras
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Bloodfin Tetra
Aphyocharax anisitsi
- Care level
- Beginner
- Adult size
- 5.5 cm
- Minimum tank
- 54 litres
- Temperature
- 18–28 °C
Blue Diamond Tetra
Alestopetersius smykalai
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 6 cm
- Minimum tank
- 108 litres
- Temperature
- 20–28 °C
Blue Purple Emperor Tetra
Inpaichthys kerri
- Care level
- Beginner
- Adult size
- 3.5 cm
- Minimum tank
- 87 litres
- Temperature
- 24–27 °C