Care
Wild populations of this fish are found in a range of habitats where aquatic plants, tangles of wood and leaf litter provide areas of cover. Individuals are often found in batches of popular tetras such as Cardinals, where they’ve been caught alongside them in blackwater habitats or floodwaters.
Their aquarium should be spacious, with areas of cover to provide them with hiding places which will be used less frequently the more they settle in. As with most tetras, these are shoaling fish that are most comfortable and look their best when kept in large numbers. As is the case in the wild, this species will happily shoal alongside other species of tetra and can be mixed with any peaceful fish that requires the same softwater conditions. You may see this species as by-catch in small numbers alongside wild batches of more commonly imported sympatric fishes, but a shoal of these rare beauties is a very attractive sight in a suitable aquarium, as well as adding authenticity to a biotope set up that features Cardinal or Glowlight tetras.
Feeding
Offer a good quality flake food and micropellets, supplemented with small frozen foods such as daphnia and mosquito larvae.
Breeding
Not an easy fish to breed but spawning occurs in typical tetra fashion. A conditioned pair should be added to a specially set up breeding aquarium which has soft water, a pH below 6.5, and plenty of live plants. The male is said to pursue the female during the first light of day, after which time she will release her eggs, which will sink to the bottom of the aquarium amongst the plants. Remove the adults after spawning, as they will eat their eggs. The eggs should hatch after 24 hours.
