Freshwater fish profile: Buenos aires tetra

The Buenos aires tetra


(image can be found here)


(image can be found here)

Name(s): Hemigrammus caudovittatus (Buenos aires tetra)

Description: Adult size generally ranges from 3-4 inches, depending on who you ask. These are rather elongated, yet deep bodied fish. Most of the fins are red in color, how red generally depends on their diet and health. The males are generally slender bodied, while females have more weight to them, however, if you’ve just bought this fish, you most likely won’t be able to tell the difference until after a few months of keeping them. They have a silvery-bluish body, with a single black stripe extending from the base of the tail. There is also an albino form, wich is devoid of any coloration on the body (shown in the second picture).

Natural habitat: They originate out of the Rio de la Plata basin and beyond that, I don’t know much else concerning thier natural habitat.

Aquarium needs: Tank size is still something I’m trying to figure out as my fish grow. Right now they're in a 20 tall – however, they're not full grow yet, so I’m not completely sure if this is going to be big enough for a full grown fish. A standard 29g or a 20 long should definitely be adequate for long term health, however, as mentioned above I’m still debating whether or not a 20 tall would be adequate

Keeping other fish with them has proven to be more trouble than it’s worth. Since they will eat almost anything they can digest VERY quickly, including other fishes fins, you need to be really careful with tank mates. Even bottom feeders would be a challenge, because of how aggressively they feed, little if any food ever touches the gravel and usually if food does go on the gravel, one of them will pick it up off the gravel. Other mid/top dwelling fish should be selected with care – you don’t want anything with finnage and it has to be a fast swimmer so it can actually eat. It also shouldn’t be able to eat the tetras, of course, unless you’re planning on using them as feeders (and that’s rather unlikely and if you are using them as feeders, you probably aren’t reading this). They would probably make great dither fish for medium sized S.A. cichlids, because they are very fast swimmers.

A far as water parameters go, your tap water shouldn’t need any altering except a dechlorination, unless your PH is in the extremes (much higher or lower than 6 or 8 would be cause for concern). Like all fish, ammonia and nitrite should be kept at zero and nitrate under 20. Temp. should be somewhere in the lower 70s (<75-76), however, they can tolerate a temp in the upper 60s quite easily.

The tank should have atleast a moderate amount of plants (probably fake, but live is just as good if you can get it to grow with these fish) and cover, as these fish can be quite skittish.

Diet should consist of a normal tropical flake daily and supplemental feedings of veggies or seafood at least once a week (more being only better). As said above, they will eat almost anything they can digest – live plants, finnage, snails, etc. I’ve even watched one of mine take a few bites out of a piece of a fake plant that had broken off – they are not picky eaters at all.

Keep in mind these are schooling fish and need to be kept in groups of over 5-6 if they are to thrive.


Disease concerns: I’ve never had any problems disease wise with these fish, probably because disease has never entered thier tank, however, I’d guess that they would be/are pretty resilient fish when it comes to disease.

Breeding information: I haven’t bred this fish personally, however, they can be bred in captivity and from what I’ve read I’d say they could be bred quite easily if you had a mature pair.

My experience with them is that they really should be kept in species tanks in my opinion. Not necessarily for there health, but because it really is hard to keep the other fish healthy. I’ve been keeping them with black skirt tetras for most the year I’ve had them, well recently the black skirt tetras started ganging up on the Buenos aires tetras, so the black skirts are going into another tank soon. These are also the fish wich took down my beloved apple snails a while back, by the way. They also will attack any plant clippings you put in the tank and are a blast to watch during feeding.

[nursie]

Nice article!! Thanks.
They took down apple snails
What do they do to regular snails?

Originally Posted by nursie

What do they do to regular snails?

The maylasian trumpet snails they have in there tank with seem to be doing fine, however, I'm pretty sure MTS also do well with puffers, so there's little risk of them being eaten. If you want, I could introduce some pond snails to there tank and watch to see if they persist.

[nursie]

Oh my, don't infect your tank with snails on my account!! I have no plans to aquire any Buenos Aires tetras any time soon, even if they do eat snails!

Nursie, I got bored and did it anyway, however I have never found snails to be a problem (and, BTW, I already have pond snails in my 5g). Each one of them tried to eat the thing whole as it fell to the substrate, but none of them could swallow it. I don't expect it to last long.

[branflake12]

Well i had some small common snails come in with my sword plants, curtesy of petsmart. The five Beunos Aries I have never bother them. They always swim in a tight school and like dork said, skittish is the best word for them. My 2 zebra danios left from cycling (3 years ago...) are too fast for them and keep them on there toes. (fins?) They never bother my 3 cories or 2 flying foxes...mine must be well behaved.
About the eating...I have found that whatever type of sword i have (it grows a long shoot straight up and little plants form along it then drop off) they will not eat. Java Moss they will not eat. Java fern they will not eat. Everything else that is green they will eat. I have to use 2 veggie clips when feeding them veggies as they chase each other off the food. Very fun fish to watch.

Thinking about adding some hatchets (6?) to liven up the top water area...anyone tried this?

Originally Posted by branflake12

They never bother my 3 cories or 2 flying foxes...mine must be well behaved.

Concerning those fish, it's not that they will directly harm them, it's that those fish are likely to slowly starve to death when being kept with this fish. When I said they will eat almost everything that is edible, I meant it - regardless of where they found that food at and what that food is, they'll most likely eat it.

[branflake12]

Originally Posted by dorkfish

Concerning those fish, it's not that they will directly harm them, it's that those fish are likely to slowly starve to death when being kept with this fish. When I said they will eat almost everything that is edible, I meant it - regardless of where they found that food at and what that food is, they'll most likely eat it.

Oh Im aware, I have to use sinking veggie and pellet foods and sneak them in with the filter waterfall WHILE the BA's are frenzying...Its fun to watch thou

[blueiz]

Just wanted to add that the males can show yellow fin coloration, here is a pic of my three buenos aires tetras..

[Trixie]

Great artilce and great pics! How do you get them to sit still for the fraction of a second to take their picture???

I especially love the last pic, blueiz! Looks like a posse of celebrities with one yelling at the paparazzi!

Susan