Silvertip tetra

Quick facts

Adult size

4 cm

Lifespan

can live up to 5 years

Tank zone

mid

Temperament

peaceful

Difficulty

beginner

Schooling

recommended 6+ (critical minimum 4, thrives at 10+)

Water parameters

Temperature

22–28°C

pH

6.0 to 8.0

Hardness

5 to 20 dGH

Tank requirements

Minimum volume

60 L

Minimum length

60 cm

Flow

moderate

Lighting

any

Substrate

any

Open swimming room

needed

Feeding

Diet: omnivore, feeds primarily at the mid.

Omnivore that eats anything: flake, pellets, frozen bloodworm, frozen brine shrimp, frozen daphnia, live food. Feeds in the midwater and upper water column. Active feeder that gets its share in community tanks. Feed twice daily. Color improves with a varied diet.

Compatibility

• Active, slightly assertive tetra. Similar temperament to bloodfin tetras: peaceful in large groups, nippy in small ones. Groups of 8+ are recommended.
• Good with other active community fish: barbs, danios, rainbowfish, and larger tetras. Avoid delicate, slow, or long-finned species.
• The white-tipped fins are the visual highlight. In a large school against a dark background, the coordinated movement of white fin tips is eye-catching.
• Hardy and tolerant of a range of conditions. A good tetra for beginners who want something slightly different from neons.

Habitat

Native to the Sao Francisco River basin in eastern Brazil. Found in clear to slightly tannin-stained streams and tributaries. The species (Hasemania nana) has a warm copper to golden-orange body color with vivid white tips on all fins. The white tips are the species' distinguishing feature and the origin of the common name. Males are more colorful, with deeper orange tones and more pronounced white tips. Females are paler and rounder. Adult size is about 5 cm. The species has been in the hobby since the 1930s. Commercially bred in large quantities. Inexpensive. Unusually for a tetra, Hasemania nana lacks an adipose fin (the small fin between the dorsal and caudal), which is a taxonomic detail that keen observers notice.

Breeding

Egg scatterer. Condition pairs with frozen food for a week. Breeding tank with fine-leaved plants, soft to moderately hard water, temperature at 25–27°C. Spawning at dawn. The pair scatters 200-300 eggs among plants. Adults eat eggs; remove after spawning. Eggs hatch in 24-30 hours. Fry take baby brine shrimp within 3-4 days. Growth is moderate. Breeding is straightforward and follows standard tetra procedures.

Common problems

Hardy with few health issues. Nipping in small groups is the behavioral concern; solved by keeping 8+. Ich in new arrivals responds to standard treatment. Color fading under poor lighting or on pale substrate is a cosmetic issue, not a health one. Dark substrate and warm lighting bring out the copper-orange body and white fin tips. Lifespan is 4-6 years.

Bioload

Bioload coefficient: 1.2 (small tetra; light waste).

Bioload coefficients are calibrated against the neon tetra as the anchor (1.0). See the methodology page for the formula and how each value was derived.

Further reading

• How to cycle a fish tank
• Stocking ideas by tank size