Care
Fairly recently described and named, the Raccoon tetra is found in shallow river habitat where rocks and marginal vegetation provide cover.
Away from the hobby, their native habitat is described as clearwater streams of moderate to rapid current that flow over a sandy substrate. As any fish in the trade will be only a generation or two away from their wild ancestors, it's wise to provide them with the soft, acidic conditions they've evolved to thrive in. Their sociable shoaling nature makes them a good choice as dither fish for shy catfish or dwarf cichlids and they'll feel at home in a planted aquarium which provides open areas in which the males can try to intimidate one another whilst trying to impress the females, as they develop colours which are only hinted at in the conditions of a shop system.
Their curious common name comes from confusion between a star featured on the Brazillian flag, and the distinctive masked mammals that share the same name.
Feeding
Offer a good quality flake food and micropellets, supplemented with small frozen foods such as daphnia and mosquito larvae.
Breeding
Raccoon Tetras have been bred in the home aquarium and are typical egg scatterers.
