Piaba Tetra Care Guide - Tank Setup, Diet & Breeding

The Piaba Tetra is a streamlined, active characin with a silvery body that catches the light as it moves. Depending on mood, lighting and condition, the flanks can show a subtle golden or warm metallic sheen, while the fins may carry darker or reddish accents that become more apparent in mature fish.

This is a peaceful, energetic schooling species that spends much of its time in the middle levels of the aquarium. A group creates lively movement without usually becoming aggressive, and the fish are most confident when kept alongside several of their own kind.

In nature, Piaba Tetras are found in tropical South American waters influenced by fallen leaves, branches and dense marginal vegetation. The resulting habitats may be gently flowing, shaded and relatively subdued, with tannins and other botanical compounds tinting the water.

Like many small characins, they are opportunistic feeders that search among vegetation and debris for tiny insects, crustaceans and other small aquatic organisms. Their active personality and manageable adult size make them appealing residents for peaceful community aquariums.

Moenkhausia phaenota is a South American freshwater tetra associated with the upper Amazon and Orinoco drainage region, particularly waters in Colombia and surrounding parts of the northern Amazon basin. It inhabits warm, slow-moving forest streams, tributaries and flooded habitats.

A group of Piaba Tetras should be provided with an aquarium of at least 75 litres, ideally measuring around 80 cm long by 30 cm deep or more so they have room to swim. Use a dark, fine-grained substrate with areas of open swimming space, along with hardy plants, shaded corners, driftwood and smooth branches that create cover without restricting movement. Floating plants and subdued lighting can bring out their colours, while gentle filtration and some water movement suit their active nature.

Up to about 6 cm (2.4 in) in total length. Females are often slightly deeper-bodied and may be marginally larger than males.

Offer a varied omnivorous diet of quality small flakes or micro-pellets supplemented with frozen or live foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, bloodworm and mosquito larvae. Their small mouths suit finely sized foods, and feeding modest portions once or twice daily helps ensure the whole shoal can eat without leaving excess waste. Occasional tiny vegetable-based ingredients can also form part of a varied diet.

Piaba Tetras are suitable companions for other peaceful, similarly sized community fish, including small rasboras, other calm tetras, pencilfish, danionins, Corydoras and small peaceful loricariid catfish. Avoid housing them with large predatory fish, boisterous species or fin-nippers, which may harass them or treat them as prey. They should also not be kept with highly aggressive cichlids or territorial fish that dominate the aquarium.

Piaba Tetras are egg-scattering spawners that may breed in a mature, densely planted aquarium, although a separate breeding tank gives better results. Condition a group with plenty of small live or frozen foods, then provide soft, slightly acidic water and fine-leaved plants or spawning mops. The adults may eat the eggs, so remove them after spawning or protect them with a mesh barrier. Eggs generally hatch within a day or two, and the tiny fry can be raised on infusoria before progressing to newly hatched brine shrimp.

Females are generally fuller through the abdomen, especially when carrying eggs, while males tend to be slimmer and may show a little more intense colouration. Differences can be subtle outside breeding condition.