A gloriously underrated little Tetra. Check out the video I took below to see what they look like from above!
This species (Hemigrammus rodwayi) is originally from South America. Their natural habitat is somewhat acidic, being full of tannins and dark leaf litter with lots of vegetation and floating plants. Mimic these slow moving, murky rivers with lots of leaf litter, driftwood, seed pods, and alder cones!
These display the best coloring and behavior while in groups of 6+, and will grow to a maximum of 1.5 inch. Flashy little gold nuggets.
Like other small tetras, they somewhat shy, but absolutely love live food such as brine shrimp, Artemia, and other micro fauna. While omnivorous, be sure to feed them a higher protein diet with a bit of vegetable flake here and there.
Your Tetras will be young, without full adult coloration, and between 3/4" to 1" long.
Like many fish, Males will be more deeply colored than females. The ladies will be paler, and rounder :)
Care Parameters:
- Peaceful community fish
- Growth to a maximum of 1.5"
- 3-5 year life span
Water Parameters:
- PH: 5.0- 7.0 (slightly more acidic water preferred)
- Temperature: 68- 82 Degrees
- Hardness: 3- 12 dH