Breeding Colombian Tetra (Hyphessobrycon Columbianus) In The Aquarium

Location

This freshwater species lives in slow-flowing streams, creeks, and tributaries in Colombia.

Body description

Colour of the body is silvery-blue. Fish has reddish fins. The dorsal fin is elongated and narrow. The anal fin has a black border. Females are thicker and larger than males. Males have more elongated dorsal fin. You can recognize the sex of the fish when it is sexually matured.

Temperament and behaviour

This is active, fast-moving, friendly, and brave species. It can take food from the mouth of other fish. This species can tease smaller fish but if it is kept in larger group, it shouldn’t cause a trouble. This is hard and easy adjusting species – it adopts fast to the new habitat. This fish can nibble plants.

Aquarium decoration

This species prefers spacious tanks with a lot of plants (back and sides), a lot of hiding-places, and space to swim. A dark substrate and dimmed light cause the colour of the fish to be brighter. These fish lives in clean water. A partial water changes should be regularly done. You need an effective but gentle filtration system. You may keep these fish in Amazon biotope aquarium ("black water"). This tank should include a lot of roots, plants, floating plants, dried leaves of beech or oak (you need to change them every few weeks), sandy substrate. Water should have colour of the "light tea" (you may add peat to the filtration system or you may put it into a net and submerge it in the water), dimmed light. If you use the biotope tank, you can put this fish only to chemically stable water (all parameters have to be stable).

Breeding

This is an oviparous species. Breeding should be made in a separate tank. Aquarium should have very soft water, lightly acidic pH, 29°C temperature, dimmed light, fine-leaved plants (e.g. java moss) or a fish hatchery, hiding-place for female (a courtships will be very intense). Before spawning you should separate females form males and feed them with plenty of food. The thickest female and most colourful male you should transfer to the breeding tank, in the evening. They should spawn next day, in the morning. Female spreads the roe among the plants or on the substrate (up to 300 eggs). The parents do not take care for the offspring – they eat the eggs, so you should immediately remove them. The eggs hatch after 1-1,5 days. The fry starts to swim and feed 3-4 days later. The roe and fry are sensitive to light – the tank should be covered for minimum 2 weeks. It is necessary to make a regular partial water changes – preferably through the filtration system.