Breeding Red Eye Tetra (Moenkhausia Sanctaefilomenae) In The Aquarium

Location

This freshwater species lives in tropical and slow flowing water, with many plants in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru (basins of Amazon).

Body description

Colour of the body is silvery-gray with pinkish-greenish shine. There is a black spot with white border on the base of the caudal fin. These fish have red iris of the eye in the upper part. Females are a bit larger and more round than males. The sex of the fish can be recognised when they are sexually matured.

Temperament and behaviour

This is peaceful, friendly, active, and easy to keep fish. It can nibble smaller fish and species with long, flowing fins. It may nibble plants too. This is shoal fish - the best is to keep it in a group of a several fish minimum. This fish adjust quickly to the water parameters and to other fish company.

Aquarium decoration

These fish likes spacious aquariums with free space to swim. The tank should have a lot of plants (especially at the back and on the sides of the aquarium) and many places to hide. Colour of the fish is brighter when there is a dark substrate and dimmed light. Fish likes clear water - you have to do a systematic partial water changes and use an effective but gentle filtration system. You can also keep these fish in the Amazon biotope aquarium (also called black waters). The tank should include many roots and plants (including floating plants), dry leaves (beech or oak which you have to change every few weeks), sandy substrate. Water should have colour of "light tea" (for this purpose you can add a peat to the filtration system or you can put it to a net and dive it in the water). Light should be dimmed. Put the fish to chemically stable water (all parameters have to stable).

Breeding

This is an oviparous species. Breeding should be made in a separate tank (the spawning aquarium). This tank should have very soft water, slightly acidic pH, dimmed light, and fine-leaved plants (e.g. floating plants, java moss) and fish hatchery. Before spawning you should separate males from females and you should feed them a lot. When females will have round belly (they are full of eggs) you have to transfer selected pair of fish to the breeding tank in the evening. They should spawn next day, in the morning. The eggs are spread among the plants or on the substrate (about 1000 eggs). Fish should be immediately removed after breeding - they don't take care for offspring and they eat roe. The eggs hatch after 1-2 days. The roe and fry are light sensitive - tank should be covered for several weeks.