Flame Tetra

Overview: Flame tetra is popular with Von Rio, Fire, Red and Orange flame tetra names. The scientific name of Flame Tetra is Hyphessobrycon flammeus. It belongs to the Characidae family and is one of the most popular fish among aquarists. It is a small-sized fish that attains 0.8 to 1 inch adult size. Due to the ease of care, size, behaviour and appearance, these fish are considered suitable for beginners as well. The beautiful bright hue makes them look super amazing. You can keep Flame Tetra alone or in a group of 6. Neither they are fussy eaters nor aggressive. They prefer spending most of their time in the middle layers of the tank. Their schools make a beautiful addition to every aquarium. 

Distribution and Habitat: Flame tetras are believed to be originated in South America. They are found in the coastal rivers in southeastern Brazil, especially the areas near Guanabara Bay in the Rio de Janeiro region. Small populations of Flame Tetra are also found in the Sao Paulo region. In 1920, this breed was introduced to the United States, from where it started as a popular home aquarium addition. Flame tetras are also found in the wild, but now their number is decreasing due to habitat destruction, invasion of other aggressive species and pollution. Talking about their favourite habitats, Flame Tetra love slow-moving shallow waters like tributaries and streams, basically, water with plenty of submerged vegetation and sandy bottoms. 

Temperature: 22 to 27 degrees Celsius is the optimum temperature range for Flame Tetras. Although these fish can tolerate a wide range of water temperatures, keeping a suitable temperature will ensure that the fish will remain stress-free and healthy. 

Water conditions: pH must remain between 5.5 and 7 and hardness between 18 and 215 ppm. The minimum tank size should be 15 gallons. 

Breeding: A separate spawning tank with conditioned water will be suitable for Flame Tetras for breeding purposes. The light should be dim. The fish spawns and scatters eggs. You need to protect the eggs from the adults as they eat them up. So, either line the tank with a mesh through which the eggs fall through to the bottom of the tank or add objects in the tank-like spawning mops of plants where eggs can attach. The eggs hatch in 1 or 2 days. Newborns resemble tiny shards of glass. On the first two days, they cling to the plants, but from the third day, they start free-swimming. 

Feeding: Flame tetras are omnivorous. They will feed on everything that you will give, like fish flakes, live foods, fish pellets, frozen or fresh brine shrimp, bloodworms, mosquito larvae, daphnia, etc. You can also give them organic materials like algae. Varieties of food will upkeep the nutritional requirements of Flame Tetra. 

Lifespan: It can live for 3-5 years under suitable water conditions and proper nutrition. 

Do you know: Brazil has listed Flame Tetra as one of the threatened species since 2004.