Tetras: Secrets to Keeping Them Healthy and Happy

Tetras are small tropical freshwater fish belonging to the family Characidae in the order Characiformes. Tetras are among the most popular and widely sold fish in the world. Why is that so? Some hard facts about tetras:

• impressively colorful and agile
• generally do not exceed 5 centimeters in length, so little space is required.
• easy to care for, sometimes termed as the perfect beginner’s fish
• are hardy and peace-loving, they don’t play political games with their neighbors, and thrive well in most community aquariums

Avoid These Tetras: If, however, you spot colored tetras with nice names such as “blueberry” or “raspberry” tetras, don’t buy them. These are nothing but albino black tetras cruelly dyed an artificial blue, pink, or orange. By not buying these fish, you will help stamp out this miserable trade.

Living Environment for Tetras

These days, many tetras are bred captive, and are hence more adapted to aquarium life. But some are still caught in the wild, and have to travel great length to reach us.

Tetras don’t travel well, so it’s highly important to get them acclimatized—first at the store, then at home. Try not to buy tetras that have just arrived at the store, and do your utmost to make them feel at home.

Tetras are used to extremely soft water, and some have been known to live with a pH as low as 4.5, and a temperature of between 22 and 25 deg C. However, certain species also do well in hard, alkaline water, though such conditions are not conducive to them fro breeding.

If you’re considering buying a tetra you’re not sure about, look it up in a book. Avoid getting fish that require extremely low water pH, especially if you’re just starting out. Tap water is usually treated to become slightly alkaline (about pH 7.5), to help prevent corrosion of mains pipes. Beginners should not be tempted to adjust the pH of the water with chemicals, as water chemistry is a very complex process. One wrong move and you can kill your fish.

There are plenty of hardy tetras out there for beginners that don’t need special water, such as the Black Skirt Tetra, the brightly colored Glow Light Tetra, and the radiant orange Jewel Tetra.

These fish prefer well-planted aquariums with an open swimming space. They also like a dimmer environment, which can be created through the use of floating plants and a dark substrate. The darker surroundings also show up their brilliant colors better.

Quarantine Tetras: Once you’ve brought them home, quarantine them in a quiet tank that’s not too bright.

If your new tetras develop ich, get anti-ich medication and raise the water temperature. This speeds up the life cycle of the protozoan parasites to reach the free swimming stage, when they will be more receptive to the medication. Medication time for the fish will hence be decreased.

You may need to do this for 12 days or more. Once your fish look healthy again, they can be put into the main tank.

Feeding Habits: Tetras usually prefer the middle and lower levels of the tank.

When they surface, it’s only to gulp their food quickly before darting down with a splash. This is when you’ll realize how nimble these little fish can swim if they want to.

In slow moving streams where wild tetras live, they feed on small insects, crustaceans, plants and worms. Therefore, live foods, are great for tetras, as they really come into being when they have something to chase.

They love aquatic insects, but are not fussy about food. They will eat almost anything you feed them, and also do well on dried flake food. However, once in a while give them live foods to chase to keep them happy.

Though their mouths seem small, they’re pretty lethal, and work like trap doors with sharp teeth. As a result, they can handle bigger chunks of food than you think, and even damage the fins of other fish from their own school.

Occasional Fights: Don’t worry if you witness mock fights between your male tetras. Mock fights are just a display when tetras show off their best colors, flare their fins, position themselves head to tail with each other, or make sudden sideway movements. Some tetras may even get their fins ripped between the rays due to over-stretching from an especially heated display!

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