Choosing Tetras

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Small, hardy, colored in iridescent rainbow hues, a flashing school of tetras enlivens any freshwater aquarium. Although they range in size from 1 inch to 5 inches, tetras are in the same Characin family as many hundreds of Central and South American and African fishes that includes piranhas and tigerfish. All have toothed jaws and usually a small, second dorsal fin called the adipose fin on their backs. They are also egg-layers.

Black, Neon, Silver, Golden

In the aquarium storeEclipse Hex 5 Gallon
Marineland/Aquaria Eclipse Hex System (5 Gallon Black) is perfect for home or office or any location, the silent-operating Eclipse Hex 5 is the only a... you will see dozens of species with names as enticing as their colors. The mainstay of the trade is the neon tetraTetraColor Sinking Goldfish Granules
Bring out the striking, beautiful colors of your Goldfish with TetraColor™ Sinking Granules. This diet enhancer is the perfect supplement to you..., a peaceful fish that, like all the tetras, does best in a school of at least five or six. Their lateral stripe running from head to tail, a distinctive tetra marking, is silver, and its underside and tail are bright red. The cardinal tetra, a close relative, has an iridescent blue stripe from eye to tail, a thick, bright red stripe below.

The golden tetra is all gold with a black tail. The related glowlight tetra has red lateral stripes from head to tail with red spots on on fins.

These and others of the group are some of the popular fish in the aquarium trade. They also include what are called head and tail lights, hatchetfish, the transparent X-ray fish, and any of the various pencilfish.

Care and Feeding

The tetras are all omnivorous. In the slow moving streams in which they liveJumboKrill Freeze Dried Jumbo Shrimp
These whole, freeze-dried shrimp are an excellent source of protein, fat, vitamin E and roughage for all large, carnivorous tropical and marine fish. ... they feed on small insects and crustaceans, plantsAquarium Plants Mini Encyclopedia
Barron's Aquarium Plants Mini Encyclopedia includes hundreds of different aquarium plants are illustrated in color with detailed descriptions of e... and worms. The same can be fed in the aquarium, although all do well on dried flakeFormula One Flakes
Ocean Nutrition Formula One Flakes; Extra Algae with fresh seafood's make this a gourmet natural food for herbivorous marine and freshwater fishes... food. When you sprinkle the food into the aquarium the school will flash toward it, break apart to eat, and then reform. Since few of the tetras grow larger than 2 inches, a school of them do fine in even a 10-gallon community aquarium. All do well with the tankEclipse Curved-Front Aquarium System
Marineland/Aquaria Eclipse Aquarium System has unique combinations of beauty, precision and 3-stage BIO- Wheel filtration efficiency, the Eclipse Aqua... temperature of around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. They like low light and a well-planted aquarium, with water slightly soft and slightly acidic, say a pH of 5.5 to 7.5.

Breeding

Tetras are fairly easy to breed and for most of them, the softer and more acidic the water - you can add some peat to the breeding tank to accomplish this - the more likely they are to produce eggs and young. Females scatter their eggs throughout the tank, so use a box, rather than a power filterSubCurrent Surface Skimming Aquarium Filter
The Next Evolution In Aquarium Filtration is Crystal ClearThe SubCurrent sets a new standard in aquarium filtration. Unmatched by traditional power fi... in the tank. After spawning, remove the parents. The eggs hatch within 24 to 48 hours.