Pretty Tetra Care Guide - Aquarium Setup, Diet & Breeding

The Pretty Tetra, Hemigrammus pulcher, is a small, elegant characin with a silvery body, translucent fins and a subtle pattern of dark and reddish-gold markings. Its delicate appearance is enhanced when it is viewed as part of a coordinated shoal, where the fish display flashes of colour as they turn together.

Pretty Tetras are native to slow-moving tributaries, forest streams and flooded habitats of the western Amazon Basin, particularly in Peru. They come from tropical South America, where they are associated with warm, soft and often tea-coloured water beneath dense rainforest cover.

A group of Pretty Tetras should have at least a 60-litre aquarium, with a footprint of roughly 60 by 30 cm or larger. Use gentle filtration and leave open swimming space through the middle of the tank, while adding dense planting, floating plants, wood and shaded areas around the edges. A dark, fine-grained substrate helps them feel secure and makes their colours stand out; leaf litter and tannins can be used to create a more natural blackwater-style setting. Keep the aquarium mature, stable and well covered, since these active little fish may jump when startled.

Up to 4 cm (1.6 in) in adult length. Females are usually slightly deeper-bodied and may be marginally larger than males.

Pretty Tetras are omnivores that benefit from a varied diet of quality small flakes or micro-pellets supplemented with frozen or live foods. Daphnia, mosquito larvae, brine shrimp and finely chopped bloodworm help provide useful protein and encourage their best colour and condition. Feed small portions that they can finish quickly, particularly because their small mouths suit finely sized foods.

Pretty Tetras are peaceful community fish and can be kept with other similarly gentle, small species. Suitable companions include small rasboras, pencilfish, peaceful tetras, Corydoras, small non-aggressive catfish and calm dwarf cichlids such as German blue rams in an appropriately arranged aquarium. Avoid large, predatory or fin-nipping fish, as well as boisterous species that may intimidate them or outcompete them for food.

Pretty Tetras are egg-scattering fish that breed best in a separate, dimly lit breeding aquarium with soft, slightly acidic water and fine-leaved plants or spawning mops. Condition a group with plenty of small live or frozen foods, then introduce a pair or several males and females. The adults should be removed after spawning because they may eat the eggs. Hatching generally takes around 24 to 36 hours, and the tiny fry can be raised on infusoria or a commercial liquid fry food before moving on to newly hatched brine shrimp.

Females are generally fuller through the abdomen, especially when carrying eggs, while males tend to be slimmer and more streamlined. Differences are subtle, and colour is not usually a reliable way to sex this species.