Aquaria/Congo tetras

In the aquarium, mimic the natural habitat for the Congo tetra; it requires soft, peat-filtered (acidic) water and a darker substrate. They are most comfortable in an aquarium with lower light levels. The beautiful rainbow colors of this fish will also show best in lower light levels. These fish are easily frightened by aggressive tank mates and loud noises, and may wait for people to leave the aquarium area before they will feed. It is a peaceful schooling fish, so needs a large aquarium to thrive and develop its full beauty. Any aquarium less than 30 gallons will not be suitable for a proper school of these fish. Water hardness should be 4-18°dGH, pH should be near 6.2, and temperature should be 75-81°F (24-27°C)

Nutrition

Since they are omnivorous, Congo tetras generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. To keep a good balance, give them a high-quality flake food every day. Feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or bloodworms as a treat.

Social behavior

They are generally good community fish, but they may try to bite smaller fish. Also, they may eat smaller plants. They sometimes nibble on softer plants and young shoots.

Breeding and reproduction

Congo tetras are egg layers. Some keys to breeding them are a large aquarium, peat-filtered water, and bright lighting to initiate spawning. They will lay up to 300 eggs that will drop to the bottom. The fry are large enough to eat freshly hatched brine shrimp.

See also

• Wikipedia: Congo tetra

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