Silvertip Tetra Care Guide - Tank Setup, Diet & Breeding

The Silvertip Tetra is a small, lively characin named for the striking silvery-white tips on its fins. Its body is generally golden to coppery, with a darker lateral area that becomes especially noticeable when the fish is displaying or moving through subdued aquarium lighting. The reflective fin tips give a group a bright, sparkling appearance.

Silvertip Tetras are native to eastern Brazil in South America, where they occur in tributaries and smaller rivers associated with the coastal river systems. Their natural waters are typically warm, slow to moderately flowing and shaded by dense vegetation.

A group should be housed in an aquarium of at least 60 litres, with a footprint around 60 cm long by 30 cm wide to provide useful swimming space. Use a dark, fine-grained substrate, gentle filtration and open areas for schooling, balanced with dense planting around the sides and rear. Floating plants, driftwood and subdued lighting help recreate the shaded streams they favour and allow their reflective markings to stand out.

Up to around 5 cm (2 inches) in total length. Females are often slightly larger and deeper-bodied than males.

Silvertip Tetras are omnivores and do well on a varied diet of quality small flake, micro-pellets and granules. Regular additions of frozen or live foods such as daphnia, bloodworm, mosquito larvae and brine shrimp improve colour and condition. Feed small portions that they can consume quickly, as their small mouths are better suited to appropriately sized foods.

Silvertip Tetras are active but generally peaceful community fish when kept in a suitably sized group. They can live with similarly sized tetras, rasboras, danios, peaceful barbs, Corydoras, small peaceful loaches and non-aggressive dwarf cichlids. Avoid large predatory fish, fin-nipping species and boisterous tankmates that may intimidate them or compete too aggressively for food.

Silvertip Tetras are egg scatterers that breed most readily in a separate, mature breeding aquarium with soft, slightly acidic water, subdued lighting and fine-leaved plants or a spawning mop. Condition a group with plenty of small live or frozen foods, then introduce the adults when spawning is likely. They scatter adhesive eggs among the plants, but will usually eat them, so remove the adults or protect the eggs with a mesh barrier. The eggs hatch in roughly a day, and the free-swimming fry can initially be fed infusoria or commercially prepared fry food before moving on to newly hatched brine shrimp.

Males are usually slimmer and more intensely golden or copper-coloured, with brighter silvery fin tips. Females tend to have a fuller body, particularly when carrying eggs, and are generally less vividly coloured.