Care
The Scratched royal tetra is a recent discovery, first encountered in a moderately-flowing shallow, clear stream with a sandy substrate and abundant vegetation.
The aquarium that houses these tetras should be furnished with plenty of driftwood to create lots of shady areas, and the tannins that are gradually released from the wood should help to acidify the water whilst giving it a natural, clear tea-colour. Botanicals such as Catappa leaves can also help in this respect. Some dense planting will be appreciated and males will establish territories from which to court females. Although something of an investment for this new species, they should be maintained in groups. Not only will the fish feel more secure, but it will result in far less hostility between the males, plus it will create a much more effective and natural-looking display. Tankmates should be small and peaceful, and could include Cory catfish, small dwarf cichlids such as Apistogramma or Mikrogeophagus, pencilfish, and some of the smaller Loricariidae (suckermouth catfish). Avoid large, boisterous tankmates as these tetras are easily intimidated. Much attention must be paid to water quality since these fish are still close to their wild ancestors and can be sensitive to elevated nitrates and swings in water chemistry.
First imported as Hyphessobrycon sp. 'scratched', further work saw it placed alongside the familliar Blue emperor tetra (I. kerri) which had previously been the sole member of its genus for many years. The genus Inpaichthys honours the Brazillian National Institute of Amazonian Research or INPA and this gave rise to the name Inpa tetra as a shorthand for these fish. We've decided to go with the alternative of Royal tetras for this genus, as it's a name already applied to I. kerri and is a bit more accessible. This is demonstrated by the fact that references to 'impa tetras' can already be found.
Feeding
Offer a varied diet including a good quality flake, micropellets, and small frozen foods such as bloodworm, white mosquito larvae, vitamin-enriched brineshrimp, and daphnia. Live foods are eagerly taken.
Breeding
This species has been bred in the home aquarium. Small numbers of fry may appear from time to time in heavily planted tanks, but if you wish to raise a larger number of young, a separate breeding aquarium should be set up. The water should be soft and acidic, ideally with a pH between 5.5-6.8 and a general hardness of <8 degrees, and filtered via a small air driven sponge filter. The temperature should be set at the higher end of their preferred range, and lighting kept subdued. Spawning mops or clumps of Java moss should be placed on the bottom of the aquarium, and small groups of well-conditioned males and females (or even just a single male-female pair) carefully acclimatised across. The fish should spawn the following morning, with just a few eggs scattered at a time, over the course of several hours. The adults are non-guarders and should be removed after spawning to prevent predation on the eggs. Some aquarists like to use a fine mesh in the tank so that the scattered eggs can fall to safety, away from the attention of the adult fish. The eggs should hatch within 24-36 hours (depending on temperature of the water), with the fry becoming free-swimming some 3-4 days later. They should be offered infusoria as a first food, moving on to baby brineshrimp (Artemia nauplii) and microworm as they grow.
