Tiger Teddy Care Guide - Aquarium Setup, Diet & Breeding

The Tiger Teddy is a tiny livebearing fish with a distinctive striped appearance. Its pale golden to cream body is marked by dark vertical bars, creating the tiger-like pattern that gives this species its common name. The fins are generally delicate and translucent, while males are noticeably slimmer than females.

Despite its miniature size, Neoheterandria elegans is an active and engaging fish. It spends much of its time weaving through plants and inspecting the middle and upper areas of the aquarium, with males often displaying to females and to one another without causing serious damage.

In the wild, Tiger Teddies inhabit quiet or gently flowing waters with abundant aquatic vegetation and cover. Their small stature allows them to move among fine stems, roots and leaf litter where larger fish would struggle to follow.

This species is a member of the Poeciliidae family and is related to familiar livebearers such as guppies and endlers, although it is much smaller and has a more compact, understated presence. Its unusual pattern and manageable breeding behaviour make it especially appealing for planted nano aquariums.

Neoheterandria elegans is native to Colombia in north-western South America, particularly the Río Atrato drainage in the Chocó region. It comes from shallow, slow-moving and densely vegetated freshwater habitats.

A group should have at least a 20-litre aquarium, though a longer tank of around 45 × 25 cm provides more useful swimming space and makes maintaining stable water conditions easier. Use gentle filtration and moderate flow, with dense fine-leaved plants, moss, floating vegetation and some open areas between the cover. A dark fine-grained substrate helps show their colours, while wood, leaf litter and smooth decorations can create additional shelter. Keep the aquarium mature, tightly covered and free from strong currents.

Females reach about 2.5 cm (1.0 in), while males usually grow to around 2 cm (0.8 in).

Offer a varied diet of fine flake, crushed micro-pellets and small frozen or live foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops and mosquito larvae. Their small mouths require appropriately sized food, and vegetable matter or spirulina-based foods can be included as part of a balanced diet. Feed small portions regularly so food does not accumulate in the aquarium.

Tiger Teddies are peaceful and can be kept with other tiny, calm species such as pygmy Corydoras, small Boraras rasboras, celestial pearl danios and Otocinclus in a suitably mature aquarium. They also work well in a species-only group. Avoid large, boisterous or predatory fish, including many barbs, larger gouramis, angelfish and cichlids, which may eat or constantly intimidate them. Shrimp can be suitable tankmates, although very small shrimplets may be eaten.

Tiger Teddies are livebearers and can breed readily in a mature, well-planted aquarium. Females develop a dark gravid area and produce a small number of relatively large fry over an extended period, rather than releasing one large batch. Dense plants, moss and floating cover give the young fish places to hide, although a separate nursery or breeding tank offers better survival. Feed newborn fry with infusoria, powdered fry food and freshly hatched baby brine shrimp.

Females are larger and deeper-bodied, particularly when carrying developing young. Males are smaller and slimmer, with a modified anal fin called a gonopodium used for reproduction; their pattern may also appear more strongly contrasted.