Congo Tetra Care Guide - Aquarium Setup, Diet & Breeding

The Congo Tetra is a striking African characin with shimmering iridescent scales that can flash blue, green, gold and violet as it moves through the aquarium. Mature males develop especially impressive flowing fins and a fuller, more colourful body than females, making them a spectacular centrepiece for a peaceful tropical community.

These are active but generally gentle schooling fish. A group spends much of its time cruising through the middle and upper levels of the aquarium, displaying to one another and exploring its surroundings without usually bothering other inhabitants.

In the wild, Congo Tetras live among submerged vegetation and woody cover in the dark, tannin-stained waters of Central African forest waterways. Their natural habitat is often sheltered from strong sunlight, with soft bottoms and gently moving water.

Phenacogrammus interruptus was first described in the late nineteenth century and remains one of the best-known African aquarium tetras. Its combination of size, movement and metallic colour makes it considerably more imposing than many small New World tetras.

Congo Tetras are native to the Congo River basin in Central Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They inhabit slow-moving forest streams, tributaries and pools with shaded, vegetation-rich margins.

A group of Congo Tetras should be kept in an aquarium of at least 120 litres, with a length of around 120 cm or more to provide a generous uninterrupted swimming area. Use a soft sand or fine-gravel substrate, open swimming space and robust planting around the sides and rear, together with driftwood or roots that create shaded retreats. Moderate filtration, gentle to moderate circulation and a secure lid are advisable, while floating plants or subdued lighting can help the fish feel confident and show their best colours.

Males can reach approximately 8 cm (3.1 inches) in length, while females are usually smaller at around 6 cm (2.4 inches).

Congo Tetras are omnivores that thrive on a varied diet. Offer a quality tropical flake or small pellet as a staple, supplemented with frozen or live foods such as bloodworm, daphnia, brine shrimp and mosquito larvae. Regular vegetable matter is not essential, but occasional spirulina-based foods can add variety, and small portions fed once or twice daily help maintain their condition and colour.

Congo Tetras are peaceful community fish and can be kept with similarly sized, calm species such as pearl gouramis, peaceful barbs, rainbowfish, larger rasboras, peaceful dwarf cichlids and other African tetras. Avoid housing them with fin-nipping species, very boisterous fish or large predators, which may damage their flowing fins or see them as prey. They should not be kept with tiny, timid fish that may be intimidated by their active swimming style.

Congo Tetras are egg-scattering fish that can be bred in a separate, mature breeding aquarium with soft, slightly acidic water and subdued lighting. Use fine-leaved plants or spawning mops to catch the eggs, condition a group with plenty of live or frozen foods, and remove the adults after spawning because they may eat the eggs. The eggs usually hatch in around five to seven days, with the tiny fry requiring infusoria or another suitably fine first food before they can take newly hatched brine shrimp.

Males are larger and more vividly coloured, with elongated, flowing dorsal, caudal and anal fins and a more pronounced tail shape. Females are shorter-bodied, less ornate and generally have smaller, rounder fins.