Long-Fin Red Minor Tetra Care Guide - Setup, Diet & Breeding

The Long-Fin Red Minor Tetra is a selectively bred form of the Red Minor Tetra, also known as the Serpae Tetra. It has a rich red to copper-red body, a dark marking behind the gill cover and contrasting black-edged fins. The long-fin variety has noticeably extended dorsal, anal and pelvic fins, giving its profile a graceful appearance compared with the standard form.

These are lively, active schooling fish that spend much of their time in the middle levels of the aquarium. They are generally peaceful when kept in a properly sized group, although they may display mild fin-nipping or sparring behaviour if numbers are too low or the aquarium is overcrowded.

In the wild, Red Minor Tetras inhabit slow-moving forest streams, tributaries and vegetated floodplain waters. Their natural surroundings are often shaded by overhanging vegetation, with submerged roots, fallen leaves and areas of gentle current providing cover.

The species belongs to the South American characin family and has been popular in the aquarium hobby for many years. Its long fins are a cultivated ornamental trait rather than a feature of wild populations, so specimens can vary in fin length, colour intensity and body shape.

The Long-Fin Red Minor Tetra is a selectively developed long-finned form of the Red Minor Tetra, Hyphessobrycon eques, a South American species. The wild species is native to parts of the central and northern Amazon and Paraguay–Paraná drainage regions, including Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina.

A group of Long-Fin Red Minor Tetras should have at least 75 litres, with a tank measuring around 60 x 30 x 30 cm or larger. Use open swimming space through the centre and rear of the aquarium, together with dense plants, driftwood, roots and subdued lighting around the edges. A dark substrate helps their colours stand out, while leaf litter or botanical materials can create a more natural South American appearance. Gentle to moderate circulation and a secure cover are advisable, particularly because active tetras may jump.

Up to about 4 cm (1.6 in) in standard body length. Females are often slightly larger and deeper-bodied than males, while the long fins can make some males appear longer overall.

Long-Fin Red Minor Tetras are omnivores and should receive a varied diet of quality small flakes or micro-pellets, supplemented with frozen or live foods such as bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp and mosquito larvae. Their small mouths suit finely sized foods, and regular vegetable-based ingredients can add useful variety. Feed only what the group consumes promptly so uneaten food does not degrade water quality.

Long-Fin Red Minor Tetras are best kept with similarly sized, peaceful community fish such as harlequin rasboras, peaceful danios, other medium-sized tetras, corydoras, small bristlenose catfish and non-aggressive dwarf cichlids. Keep them in a group of their own kind to spread social attention and reduce fin-nipping. Avoid housing them with very slow, long-finned fish, tiny timid species or aggressive fish that may harass or swallow them.

Long-Fin Red Minor Tetras are egg-scattering characins that can be bred in a separate, dimly lit spawning aquarium. Condition a group with plenty of live or frozen foods, then introduce a pair or small group. Fine-leaved plants or spawning mops give the eggs somewhere to fall, while a mesh or marbles can prevent the adults from eating them. Spawning usually takes place among the plants, with several dozen adhesive eggs produced. Remove the adults after spawning; the eggs generally hatch in around 24–36 hours, and the fry become free-swimming a few days later and need suitably small first foods.

Females are usually fuller through the abdomen and may be slightly larger, especially when carrying eggs. Males tend to be slimmer and can show more extended, intensely coloured fins, although sexing young or poorly conditioned fish can be difficult.