Tetras

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Help and advice on shopping for: Tetras

What are tetras?

Tetras are a type of small freshwater fish known for their range of bright colours and interesting schooling behaviours. Most species are known from South America where they live alongside other popular aquarium fish, such as angelfish, discus, and corydoras, but there are also several species native to Africa, such as congo tetras. There are hundreds of different species of tetra fish, but the most popular in the fishkeeping hobby are, without a doubt, blue and red neon tetras.

How big do tetras get?

Most types of tetras grow to sizes of ~6cm, particularly popular varieties like neon tetras, cardinal tetras, rummy nose tetras, and lemon tetras. However, there are several small species, like ember tetras and green neon tetras, that rarely exceed sizes of 5cm and tend to max out at 2-4cm. There are also several large species, such as congo tetras and red eye tetras, that can grow larger than 10cm. It’s important you research the max size of the tetras that you want to keep, and therefore the size of aquarium they need, before you buy them.

A fish tank with a large school of neon tetra, tropical freshwater fish, aquarium

How long do tetras live for?

In captivity, tetras live for an average of 2-4 years. That said, it’s not uncommon to hear of them living for more than 5 years when they’re kept in large, well-filtered aquariums with lots of swimming room, and fed diets of high-quality fish food mixed with occasional live foods and frozen foods. To ensure your tetras live long and healthy lives, provide them with an environment that matches what they’d experience in the wild – one with lots of live plants, rocks, and wood. We also recommend you keep them alongside tropical fish they’d live alongside in the wild, such as angelfish, apistogramma and corydoras.

How many tetras can you keep in an aquarium?

As schooling fish, tetras need to be kept in groups of at least six or more. To house six or more tetra, plus other tropical fish, you’ll need a suitably sized aquarium that’s capable of holding at least 50L of water. Some smaller species of tetra, such as green neon tetra and ember tetra, can live in nano aquariums (20-35L), but most species do best when kept in medium-sized aquariums (>70L) with lots of swimming room. The more volume your fish tank has, the more your tetras will school and exhibit their natural behaviours.